Out Of The Blue
by Allegra
Summary: The seaQuest crew are sent to investigate research on an underwater oceanography station, but a routine check turns out to be more dangerous than they ever imagined.
1. Default Chapter

OUT OF THE BLUE  
By Allegra

SUMMARY:The seaQuest crew are sent to investigate research on an underwater oceanography station, but a routine check turns out to be more dangerous than they ever imagined.  
DISCLAIMER:I don't own any of these characters (except some minor ones) & acknowledge the genius of those who do (until Season 2 anyway). They are copyright of Amblin Entertainment, Universal Studios, Sci-Fi Channel etc. Please don't sue. My account's firmly in the red anyway.  
I apologize for using MEDS as a devious organization in this story & mean no disrespect in nicking the name. I doubt it will affect your reputation!! I also apologize for the terrible formatting. I knew it was going to get screwed on upload!!  
RATING:15 (English rating) R (US ratings) - violence, language.  
AUTHOR'S NOTE:I have followed the ELF canon of Lucas being physically abused by his father before being put on seaQuest although this doesn't feature heavily in the story. It is helpful but not necessary to have seen the episode 'Brothers & Sisters'.  
Since it is the general consensus that the first series was the best (& I include myself in that) this story is written as though the crew from the first tour stayed on seaQuest for another tour.  
FEEDBACK:Yes, please. This is my first SQ fic, so I'd like to know how I'm doing. Send to clairestillfloating. .

In the middle of the Arctic Ocean, hundreds of feet beneath the turbulent waves, the black waters are torn with the soundless speed of a huge creature marking its traceless, unending path through the liquid depths. Unaware of the wind's cruel and incessant beating on the land masses miles above its head, seaQuest follows the contours of the land with all the stealth of a fearless killing machine. Its streamlined hull, coated with a semi-biological skin, could easily be mistaken for a prehistoric predatory monster of the deep. Yet, this is a pioneering achievement of modern science, an incredible invention built by the North Pacific Confederation, wending an eternal path around the world in an effort to maintain peace and provide assistance to those in peril beneath the sea. Like a rogue knight from King Arthur's Round Table, seaQuest performs the unenviable task of protection and amelioration between the divided territories instigated by warring countries after the 2011 collapse of the United Nations. Impressive in her sheer size and capabilities, coveted perhaps by Nature herself, its silent slicing through the dim sea, is set in strange antithesis to the hive of human activity it contains.  
The seemingly simple, seamless external body provides essential life support for over two hundred seamen, military personnel, civilians and scientists. It is their job to ensure that the multitudes of people currently living and working beneath the ocean's surface do so in peace, effectively monitoring Earth's entire liquid surface single handed. So far, things had been going well.

Captain Nathan Hale Bridger made his way stridently to the bridge where his crew were already assembled, maintaining the smooth running of seaQuest under his command. This morning, or so his watch told him, was a good one for her captain. Bridger was feeling unusually buoyant, finding a spring in his step as he took his place in front of the forward screen monitor and cast an interested gaze around the room which was illuminated with countless tiny lights like an unseasonal Christmas party. "Commander Ford, how are we doing?" Jonathan Ford turned his brown eyes momentarily towards his captain before returning his concentration to the screen in front of him. "We're on course and three hours ahead of schedule, sir. I would estimate that we'll hit the Bering Strait in about an hour."  
"Good. I have some paperwork to deal with. I'll be in my quarters if anyone needs me." Ford nodded curtly. "Yes, sir." Bridger took one last look at his men, a mixture of pride at their admirable work but also with a twinge of regret that there wasn't a crisis demanding his immediate attention. One of the alluring aspects of becoming a naval man and, especially, being captain, was the minimal amount of paperwork to be dealt with. It was only typical that, when everything was going swimmingly, an enormous pile of letters and documents would arrive for his instant perusal and comment.

Turning away from the hub of activity, he wandered casually back towards his own quarters. He paused at the cafeteria, deciding that he couldn't possibly set to work on a half empty stomach and his breakfast of reconstituted porridge had hardly been what one would call appetising. Bridger was even more relieved to find that the queue was particularly long, thus ensuring that he wouldn't be able to do anything remotely constructive before nine thirty. He took his place behind the resident doctor, Kristin Westphalen, "Morning, Kristin. Late breakfast?" She gave him an unnecessarily sour look,  
"Quite the contrary, Nathan. I've been up all night working on the algae sample we took off Inuvik yesterday." Nathan raised his eyebrows in surprise.  
"That must have been some find, then." Kristin moved along the line a couple of steps, taking a soda from the rack as she passed. "Well, it's not every day that we find a potentially new species of life form. It's very exciting." The smile which had lit up her face suddenly took on a less joyous aspect, "I just wish Lucas would show a bit more enthusiasm with it." Nathan laughed, "Teenagers don't get excited about anything these days except cars and girls. Lucas is no different...just substitute computers for cars." Kristin looked sceptically at the morning's food offerings and nodded, "Yes, he'd probably just tell me I need to get out more." She gave a flourish with her hands as she continued, "But he's a scientist, Nathan! You would have thought he might be remotely interested. Sometimes I think I would have to tell him it had a computer chip inside to even get a flicker of a reaction." Nathan nodded, mutely. He had not seen much of Lucas over the past few days, having been busy with countless other matters. Now that he had the time to sit back and enjoy being on his boat for a while it dawned on him how guilty he felt for ignoring the boy. "Where is Lucas anyway?" Kristin filled her tray and they moved over to a secluded table near the far wall. "Oh, he's been holed up his room reprogramming some system or other. What he gets up to in there I have no idea!" Bridger took a sip of his coffee and pondered this for a moment. Sometimes it was on the days when Lucas said nothing that his actions spoke volumes and it was becoming simpler to deduce his mood by his daily activities. Retreating to his room for more than twelve hours at a time without creating some kind of mischief was never a good sign. "Perhaps I should go talk to him, lure him out." Kristin widened her eyes in a tone of surprise and wryly added, "And when you're done there I expect you'll climb Everest before tea?" Nathan offered her a haggard smile of amusement. Kristin patted his arm reassuringly, "Well, if you succeed, could you send him in my direction? I could use a hand."  
"Sure."

Oblivious to these discussions about him, Lucas Wolenczak was staring into the aqua tube which ran behind his bed, his eyes glazing vacantly as seaQuest's resident dolphin, Darwin, did rounds of the ship before repeatedly returning to his friend's room and tapping on the glass with his smooth, grey beak. Lucas, however, was miles away. His mind hadn't been able to tear itself away from one particularly painful subject since he had been interrupted from sleep two nights ago.

At about two o'clock in the morning, when Lucas would usually have been busy chatting on the Internex but had decided to get an early night, a call had come through on the satellite link and the teenager had been awoken from a rather pleasant dream by the machine's incessant beeping. Rubbing his eyes wearily, Lucas had tuned in to receive a message from his sometime father. "Dad?" He had blinked a couple of times in disbelief. He hadn't heard from or seen his father for...well, a long time, so why now? Perhaps he was still dreaming.  
"Sorry to wake you, son. I didn't realize the time difference." Lucas sat up, suddenly alert and focused; this was no dream. "Why? Where are you?" Dr. Lawrence Wolenczak flapped his hand as if his whereabouts was completely inconsequential, "Oh, Tokyo. I'm doing this conference...anyway, it's all pretty dull stuff." Lucas felt himself physically deflate for a moment. The only times he ever got calls from his father was when there was bad news, an apology or a request, but occasionally, it was because he wanted to see his son. It didn't matter how many times it was one of the other three, Lucas always held onto the hope that he might be able to see him face to face. Inwardly chiding himself for being so stupid and optimistic, he mustered up a more jolly tone to his voice. "Oh, that sounds great. So, uh, what did you want?" The doctor said nothing for a moment, his eyes wandering from his son's face to something at the side of the screen, as if he had other, more important things to be doing than bonding with Lucas. "Well, actually, it's kind of silly, really." Lucas felt hope rising in his chest again. The sudden assurance gone from his voice made it sound suspiciously like Dr. Wolenczak wanted to talk about something personal and was having difficulty getting the words out. "I just...well, I know I haven't been a good father to you, Lucas. God knows, I've messed up more than most, but..." At this, he looked directly into the link, his eyes boring into his son and Lucas felt all the ill feelings he had ever had towards him melting away with the sudden love he was sure existed beneath his father's driven façade. "...I do love you, Lucas. You know that, right?" Lucas opened his mouth to speak but his voice came out strangely strangled and he cleared his throat in an attempt at casual. "Yeah, I know." There was an awkward silence, neither one knowing what they should say, until Lucas questioned, "So, what have you been doing since..." His father suddenly interrupted and carried on as if he hadn't heard the question at all. "The reason I want to say this is because...there was this boat, this, uh, experimental trial run I attended." Lucas sat rapt, stunned that his father was capable of saying any of this, let alone explain his reasons behind them. "Anyway, the crew were young... inexperienced...and there was an accident. Some people died, people I knew." He paused and, after a moment, Lucas tentatively said, "I'm sorry." Dr. Wolenczak looked up at him, his face suddenly weary and his son couldn't help wondering if those were tears glistening in the corners of his eyes. "The fact is that it made me recognise how precious life really is." He smiled, immediately resetting the tone of the conversation, "I know it sounds corny and the greetings cards have been telling it to me for years but...the truth is that I never even really thought about those people much, you know? I had worked alongside them for years, even done the odd social gathering with them, but we never hung out or went fishing together. I know that you and I have never been close, Lucas, and I'm sorry I can't be with you to say all this face to face, but...it was important to me that I say it now." Lucas wasn't sure how he was expected to respond to that but all he could feel at that moment was immense love for a man who had callously discarded him when he didn't fit into some grand life scheme. "Thanks, Dad. It's important for me, too." Dr. Wolenczak smiled, almost bitterly, and quickly gestured to something happening out of Lucas' limited viewing range. "Anyway, I'd better go. I've got some...business that needs attending to." Focusing intensely on his son again, he leaned forward and quietly intimated, "I'll talk to you soon, son." Lucas managed a rigid nod before the link went dead and he was left staring at a blank screen, his heart pounding with a strange excitement.

Even now, as he stared into the clear blue water of the aqua tube, the young man couldn't shake off that odd feeling. He had expected it to die down a few hours after his father had phoned, perhaps even give him one sleepless night, but after two days Lucas had to accept that he was having trouble dealing with this one. He couldn't concentrate on anything for longer than five minutes before his mind started wandering back to their conversation, he found himself unnecessarily snappy towards other crew members as if everything would be fine if he could just be left alone. They only reminded him that he was hundreds of feet below the ocean's surface and probably miles away from any semblance of land.  
A knock on the door brought him momentarily out of his reverie and Lucas grunted, "Come in." Bridger stepped inside, quickly surveying the room with one sweeping glance and noticing that there was very little evidence of activity amid the usual mess. Usually, the room looked like it had been hit by a rather considerate tornado with everything except the boy's precious artefacts preserved from the 1990s flung down haphazardly on the floor and chair back. Lucas turned his blue eyes from the aqua tubes to the captain with an impatient air of annoyance, "Did you want something?" Nathan paused, gauging how he was expected to respond to this. Clearly, the teenager was upset about something but whether it was related to some computer program he couldn't figure out or whether it was more serious was yet to be deduced. "Actually, Dr. Westphalen wanted you to help her. She's been up all night working. Now would be the perfect time to offer some assistance."  
Lucas snorted, "What, with algae samples? Great, sounds like a blast." Nathan ignored the tone of sarcasm and moved some clothes off the chair so he could sit down. "Well, if you'd prefer you can always help me. I've got a ton of papers to read through. Some summaries would certainly make my job easier." Lucas watched as Darwin swam round to his window for the twentieth time that hour and said bitterly, "Then, perhaps you should get a trained chimp on board instead." Bridger had to admit defeat on the 'keep him busy' front and decided to try and slightly more familial approach. "Lucas, is there something the matter?"  
The young man was almost too quick to say, "Nothing's the matter! Why should there be anything the matter?" Nathan recognised that he needed space and stood up, slowly.  
"Well, if you want to talk about something, anything, you know where to find me." Lucas didn't reply and Bridger took one last look at the angry expression on the boy's face before stepping outside and closing the hatch door.

Lucas waited until he heard the final twist of the hatch door before turning away from the aqua tube and glaring venomously at the miserable cell he had come to call home, an ugly hulk of grey metal. Things suddenly seemed a whole lot worse than they had moments earlier. He hated the fact that, somewhere in the jumble of emotions, he had known that Bridger was the one he wanted to confide in, who could provide some kind of support. Yet, as soon as it was offered, Lucas had pushed him away and now he was back to having no one again. His anger spent, the boy's mood subsided into dejection and self-pity and Lucas wasn't sure which one he thought was worse. He had been having quite a good week before the phone call and so it was quite typical that someone should throw a spanner in the works at the most inopportune moment. Why did his father have to ring now? With this question, Lucas' emotions took another sharp right as his anger redirected itself away from himself and towards the man who had caused the commotion. Those had never been tears in his eyes, they were just bright light reflections. In fact, whatever sincerity there was in his voice or words, that phone call had been instigated by pure selfishness. His father had simply got an attack of guilt because his friends had died in some stupid experiment and now he was trying to make himself feel better by saying a few kind words before signing off for another year. True to form, Lucas had fitted into his role perfectly, reassuring the good doctor that he understood, that everything was fine. In fact, he had pretty much managed to excuse his father for every misdemeanour he had ever committed for the past seventeen years. Nice one, Wolenczak, Lucas wryly congratulated himself. Of course it was important for him to say how much he loved his son, how sorry he was, because it gave him peace of mind so he could sleep well at night and get on with creating a new empire for himself.

Since he had joined seaQuest, Lucas had found himself a new family, people who took more of an interest in him than his own parents had ever done. Somehow, just when everything in his life was falling into place, his father had taken the opportunity to remind him that he didn't belong with Bridger or Westphalen and that he would always be a misfit. Resting his chin on his arm, Lucas looked back into the aqua tubes and put one hand on the glass as Darwin tapped his beak against the glass. "Hey, Darwin." Running one hand through his scruffy blonde hair, he got up slowly and stepped out into the hall. It was time to swallow his pride and go to see Bridger after all.

Nathan had rearranged his nautical equipment and brushed away the layers of dust on his books before disciplining himself long enough to sit down and open the first file on the growing pile beside his desk. He was just reading the first paragraph for the second time when there was a knock at the door. "Come in." Lucas poked his head, tentatively round the door then quickly said, "Oh, sorry, you're busy. I'll come back later."  
"No, no. It's okay. Come on in." Lucas closed the door behind him and moved awkwardly over to the desk, slumping into the chair. Bridger closed the file and moved it away from him, giving the boy his full attention. "What's up?"  
"It's my dad. He called." Nathan tried to hide his surprise. No wonder Lucas had kept it to himself. If there was one thing Lawrence Wolenczak could get a PhD in without raising a finger, it was tying that boy into knots and the look on the teenager's face said it all.  
"When?"  
"The other night...late." He paused and looked at the captain from under dark eyebrows.  
Nathan enquired, "And? What did he want?"  
"He...wanted to tell me that he loves me." Bridger sat back in his chair, processing the circumstances of this information. "And what did you say?"  
"I didn't know what to say. I just...I know everything he's done..." Nathan finished the sentence for him, "...but you still love him." Lucas gave him an affirmative look. "It's only natural to feel that way, Lucas. He's your father. Just because you two haven't always got along doesn't mean that you have to stop caring." He paused. Not getting on was an understatement considering Lucas' history of physical abuse at the hands of his father. However, no matter what his feelings, Bridger had to acknowledge that Lawrence and shown significant tact and sensitivity in trying to make amends for his wrongdoings, no matter how reprehensible they might be. He had realized that some bridges could never be rebuilt and that he would have to make the best of what he could salvage.  
"Maybe, but sometimes I wish I could...just hate him. It would make things a whole lot simpler."  
"Sure it would, but then you wouldn't be human." Bridger came round to the front of the desk, kneeling down in front of Lucas and forcing him to meet his gaze. His eyes were already taking on a slightly pained expression as Bridger put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "Listen to me, kiddo. No matter what happens, you are always going to love him and, no matter how hard it gets, I want you to know that I'll be here for you."  
Lucas nodded feebly and then choked out, "But I guess I'm afraid that...one day I'm going to have to choose." At this, he looked up at Bridger, his eyes filled with a mixture of vulnerability and hope that the captain would provide reassurance or offer an answer. Nathan understood how tough it must be for the boy and he agreed that it was thoughtless of Dr. Wolenczak to call Lucas up out of the blue, but similarly, he also knew what it felt like to be at that end of the line. With Robert and Carol both gone, Nathan had almost lost count of the number of times he wished he had told them how much he loved them or given support when he had claimed to be too busy. Hell, he even cast his mind back to Robert's Little League games and regretted the time he had been unable to attend. Nothing seemed too insignificant when his family wasn't there anymore and Bridger had learned to value the relationships he did have more with each passing day. Putting a reassuring hand on Lucas' cheek, he said firmly, "You don't have to choose, kiddo. That's the great thing about life, nothing has to be black and white."

Lucas smiled wanly and was about to offer to help with the paperwork after all when the vidlink sounded from behind the desk and Bridger quickly flicked on the monitor. Commander Ford's face appeared, his expression unreadable but undoubtedly serious. "Captain, we need you on the Bridge." Usually, Nathan would oblige without further question, especially considering Jonathan Ford's reputation as a reliable and intelligent commander. He always had an impeccable sense of timing when it came to dealing with any military matter. However, in light of the much needed heart-to-heart he had just been having with Lucas, Nathan was loath to leave it open, unsure of whether the boy had said all he wanted to air. Pausing to wait for some further information, he prompted, "Why? What's going on?" Ford simply stared at him for a moment as if uncertain of how to phrase it. Nathan flicked his hand nonchalantly, "Never mind, I'm on my way." Ford nodded and the link went dead as the captain turned back to Lucas. "Are you okay here?"  
"Yeah, sure. I'll, uh, just do some summaries or something."  
Nathan smiled, "Okay. I'll have to remember how useful you are when you have a problem, exploit it more often!" He headed towards the door then turned back suddenly, "Oh! When you've done that Dr. Westphalen really does want your help." Lucas rolled his eyes at the prospect of spending his day staring at some microscopic seaweed and it was lucky for him that Bridger was too far down the corridor to hear the ugly comment which went with that image.

Bridger stepped onto the bridge, allowing his presence to resonate with the rest of his crew. They all seemed to stand to attention somehow when he entered and this made Nathan feel proud. He enjoyed the fact that his entrance could have such a commanding effect but the disciplined atmosphere which succeeded was never borne out of hatred or fear for their captain. It was a respect for the often difficult job he performed and a desire to please him. Stepping over to where Commander Ford was sitting, staring at some flashing monitors and speaking quietly but firmly into his headset, Nathan placed a hand on his shoulder. Ford looked up, quickly signing off with whoever he was talking to. "Captain, Admiral Noyce wants to speak to you. He has an assignment in this area for us."  
Bridger nodded, "Is he still on-line?"  
"No, he wants you to get back to him within the hour."  
"Fine. Get him back and I'll take it in the ward room."  
"Yes, sir." Bridger strode off the bridge, taking a cursive glance over the rest of the crew members working there as he went. Ford turned to Lieutenant Tim O'Neill, the geekish, spectacled communications officer who was busily plugging in different connections and gabbling in some foreign language or other. "O'Neill. Get Admiral Noyce back on-line and put him through to the ward room."  
"On it." Tim announced proudly, looking a little too grateful to have something else to do with his time. This shift had felt like forever and he was looking forward to getting back to his quarters some time soon, not to mention grabbing something to eat. He had also been painfully aware of Commander Ford's constant glances in his direction as if he imagined Tim was up to something.

Jonathan Ford had to wonder what O'Neill got up to in his own recess of the bridge because often it didn't look like much and the laughter which occasionally issued from his conversations with Japanese, French and Italians alike sounded too much like fun. However, since there were few other crew members with O'Neill's grasp of languages, Jonathan was forced to accept them at face value. Besides, Tim was a trustworthy member of the crew, sometimes too much of a do-gooder, so most people turned a blind eye to the moments when he sounded suspiciously like he was chatting up a girl. Clearly, the time he had been spending with Ben Krieg lately was paying off and not in a good way.

Bridger made his way leisurely down to the ward room where he waited somewhat impatiently for Noyce to return his message. Nathan was glad that the seaQuest was being given a new, purposeful mission...assuming that was the admiral's reason for such urgency. Not only did this give the captain an opportunity to ignore his paperwork for another week or so but it also gave him a vent for all the adrenaline which had been building up since they had left Scotland days earlier.

He was put out of his misery as O'Neill's eager face appeared on the vidlink screen. "Captain, Admiral Noyce is back on line."  
"Put him on." Tim nodded in assent and within a second his face had been replaced with the grim, lined face of his superior. "Nathan, thank you for returning my call so quickly." The captain tried to hide his curiosity as he let the casual niceties take there course before inquiring, "What can we do for you, Bill?"  
"There's a sub-surface ocean research base off the coast of Anchorage which has been carrying out studies on both the adjacent rock face as well as in the water itself. They have been somewhat cagey with the information they have released concerning their finds but the Anchorage seismologists and geologists have been sending the complaints thick and fast." Bridger listened intently, occasionally prompting the admiral to elaborate. "Why?"  
"Well, their own studies show that tremors below sea level could have an adverse effect on the plate tectonics. That is to say, they think these oceanographers are tampering with and possibly corrupting the tectonic plate vibrations."  
"I see. What does the seaQuest have to do in this?" Noyce looked a little uneasy for a moment before saying, "Considering that your submarine has one of the best science crews in the world, I want you to take your people in there and look around..."  
"You mean snoop?"  
"Don't twist my words, Nathan. I simply want to you to police what's going on in there, make sure everything is running smoothly and safely."  
"Come on, Bill. Any old government grunt could do this. Why don't you just send someone in from land to check it out?"  
"I wish I could but top level jurisdiction wants seaQuest in there. It does make sense, Nathan. You are closest and it would be days before we could get our people up there. Besides, perhaps a bit of UEO clout will shut these people up once and for all." Bridger had hoped for something more interesting and more up his street, but he would have to make do. He always felt a bit useless when it came to technical issues, knocking around the submarine while he waited for Lucas or Kristin to give him some news in plain English. "Fine. I'll turn her about." Suddenly, an unpleasant thought crept into his mind and he waved a hand in front of the screen, accusingly. "Just as long as I don't have to get mixed up in some environmental science war. I don't want to end up playing peacemaker among these people." The admiral's face took on a strange contortion and Bridger began to wonder if that hadn't been half of the deal. Well, he may be captain of a UEO submarine, but there were limits to his diplomacy and petty arguments between scientists over who had jurisdiction over specific areas of the land and sea or who owned what equipment and deserved which portions of funding pushed him to the limit.  
"Just be a fair negotiator where you can, Nathan. That's what we're here for, after all." Nathan nodded, dubiously. Sometimes he got the distinct feeling that all these bogus assignments were sent his way intentionally because he was miles below the surface of the water and wouldn't be able to cause a scene for at least a few weeks. Signing off as civilly as his temper would allow, the long-suffering captain made his way back to the bridge.

Lieutenant Tim O'Neill had found some amazing discoveries in an antiquarian book shop when the seaQuest had moored off the coast of Scotland and he had finally found a moment to peruse his purchases. Despite the time which had elapsed since their departure from land, he had been hard pushed to find a moment when the communications officer was required for some task or other and then tiredness had prevented him from savouring his bedtime reading. Instead, he was dead to the world the moment his head hit the pillow.

Now, however, he had two pure, untainted hours of freedom before his next shift began and he intended to relish every second of it with his new copy of Braidwood's 'A Social Reflection of Greek Architecture'. Tim had practically run from the mess hall with his lunch in an effort to avoid being engaged in conversation with anyone and had successfully retreated to his room without further disturbance. He took a gentile sip of his coffee and opened the first page, inhaling the musty aroma of history trapped between its pages. He stared at the frontispiece and examined the date given in Roman numerals at the foot; he was determined to wallow in his new acquisition and take conscious note of every watermark and every letter regardless of its significance.

Tim was in the middle of reading the preface when there was a heavy knock on his door. Sighing at his poor fortune, he opened his mouth to speak before thinking better of it. Perhaps if he sat really still the person would go away. The knock came again louder. Still, Tim sat silently. When no further banging ensued, he assumed whoever it was must have gone away and he was just settling back on his bunk again when the door swung open and Ben Krieg entered. "You can't trick me, O'Neill. You gotta get yourself one of those extra locking devices. I could get you one half price if you want." Tim presented him with a withering look, refusing to make his sometime friend comfortable and muttered, "Yeah, that'd be great. Why don't you get on it?" Krieg smiled and sat down at the desk, rifling through the books which were piled there. Tim waited for a few moments until he was certain that Krieg wasn't going to tell him what he wanted, then asked, "Krieg?" Ben continued to look through the books for a moment before glancing up, "Yep."  
"What do you want?"  
"Oh, right, yeah. I need your advice." He swung round on the chair, ignoring the unimpressed expression on his friend's face. "I need you to teach me some Danish."  
"Danish? Dare I ask why?" Krieg huddled forward, conspiratorially, and outlined the shape of a curvaceous woman with his hands. Tim rolled his eyes; it was hard to believe, but somehow so typical, that Ben would manage to sabotage his precious moments of peace and quiet for something as trivial as a woman. "She was the most beautiful creature I have ever seen in my life, all blonde hair and baby blues. I swear she's like a gift from the gods themselves."  
"Well, I don't have any books on Danish. Sorry." Tim turned back to his book as a cue for Krieg to leave but was blessed with no such luck. "Then you'll just have to teach me without a book. Come on, O'Neill, it can't be that hard, right?"  
"Not for a person of average intelligence, no, but then..." Ben ignored the insult and punched him lightly on the arm, "Just give me a few pointers, all the basics..."  
"You mean, like 'hello', 'Can I have a return ticket to Copenhagen?'"  
"Maybe if she was a train driver...No, I need the seduction stuff, the dream lover vocabulary. Get me?" Tim's annoyance was giving way to vague amusement by this point, if only because he enjoyed tormenting the lieutenant. "Believe it or not, that side of the language didn't really come into my training much."  
Krieg was not going to back down, "Yeah, but you could give it a try, right?" Succumbing to the man's incorrigible insistence, Tim closed his book and hid it under his pillow before preparing for the onslaught. "Okay, let's start with 'I love you'."

Lucas had been sitting behind Bridger's desk for all of five minutes before algae samples began to seem a lot more appealing. Drifting aimlessly down the corridor, he found himself on the sea-deck where Kristin Westphalen was leaning over some lab equipment laid out on one of the console areas. She looked up as he passed and called, "Oh, Lucas! Come and look at this!" Rolling his eyes in mock exasperation, the boy stepped into the room, reluctantly.  
"Isn't this amazing?! Look at the way it reacts to the different light sources." Arranging different lamps around her precious sample, the doctor flicked some switches and stood back proudly as the algae began to camouflage itself. Lucas crossed his arms and tried to muster a little enthusiasm, "Fascinating." Kristin nodded, ignoring his tone of sarcasm, and prodded at the sample again. She sighed, "If only we'd been given a little longer to examine it's environment. Who knows what other information we could discover." A voice from the doorway interrupted her reverie,  
"Give us a few hours and you might be able to." Lucas and Westphalen looked up in unison as Bridger stepped through the door. Lucas had been looking forward to getting top side for days and he was eager to leave the sub. "Why, what's going on?" Now it was the captain's turn to pull a disapproving face. "We've just received a call from Admiral Noyce. He wants us to carry out a routine investigation on a marine research base off shore at Anchorage."  
Kristin could barely contain her excitement. "Ooh, how long are we going to be there?" Nathan scratched the back of his head, wearily. He was glad that some of his crew were pleased that seaQuest was being forced to backtrack and waste precious time over angry environmentalists while she could be maintaining world peace or, more importantly, mooring herself so that her crew could enjoy some well-earned shore leave. "I'm not sure. That depends on how co operative they intend to be." He turned to Lucas, his face already taking on the customary 'Don't mess with me on this trip' expression. "Lucas, we'll be needing your expertise on this trip, too. Noyce wants everything checked out, top to bottom, which includes going over their computer networks with a fine-toothed comb."  
"Gosh, it's like Christmas already!" Lucas noted dryly, already imagining the excruciating boredom which inevitably went hand in hand with routine system inspections. "Do you want to throw in a requisite reading of 'War and Peace' or perhaps a surprise UEO conference or is this just a personal gift?" The teenager was already regretting how much he had been pestering the captain about being treated more like an adult. Okay, so he often felt excluded amongst so many adults but the down side was that he was unable to escape chores like this one.  
"I know that it isn't the most exciting prospect but that's why you get paid for it, because it isn't a hobby anymore." Lucas stared back at his captain defiantly, crossing his arms firmly across his chest. Bridger opened his eyes wide in an even more stern look, "Don't forget that you're a representative of the UEO on this trip. Act like one - no tantrums." It was not a request and Lucas nodded, emphatically. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He muttered, "I'm surprised you haven't got me in uniform for these little pleasure trips yet."  
Bridger eyed him up and down, taking in the scruffy mop of blonde hair, oversized baseball shirt and well worn jean. "Perhaps that's not such a bad idea. Go pack. We'll be at Anchorage within the hour." Lucas didn't need any further prompting. Besides, the one, single perk of this job was that it might get his mind off everything that had been going on with his father, or, more to the point, what hadn't been happening at all. Today was just one of those days when Lucas wished with all his heart that he had just been a test tube baby or something, free from the burden of being someone's psychologically traumatised child. It sucked and even being shoved miles under the surface of the ocean was not enough to rid him of a father. Lucas felt the familiar and unwelcome stinging of tears in his eyes at the mental picture he was unconsciously drawing of a happy family he could barely remember. They had existed, hadn't they? It wasn't just some twisted figment of his warped imagination from the fill-in-the-blanks version of his life.  
Shrugging himself back to the reality of packing, Lucas returned to his quarters. He wasn't going to go there again. It took too much energy and only ever had one structure - circular.

Within the hour, the crew were standing in the MEDS (1) docking bay while service men scurried around to help unload any required seaQuest equipment. Things were not getting off to a good start for Nathan. No one of authority had come to meet them and they had been standing in the draughty bay for at least ten minutes. Lucas had already taken to picking at the stickers on the UEO crate he was carrying but despite giving him disapproving looks and swatting his hand away, Bridger had eventually given up and allowed the teen to slowly destruct it, unhindered. Eventually, Lucas realized that his nails were never going to get the last part of the blue triangle off so he decided to make use of the crate as a seat instead. "Lucas, do you have to do that?"  
Lucas looked up at him with a sullen glare,"What?!" Nathan looked despairingly at Kristin, who simply patted him sympathetically on the arm.

Krieg had moved away from the rest of the group with Katie, much to the relief of everyone else who had been on board the launch. Somehow, the conversation had turned to relationships and, foolishly, nobody had thought to change the subject before the pair had got stuck into each other. "I can't believe that we were married all that time and you thought she was your friend!" Katie Hitchcock's eyes practically glowed with the anger she felt, but Ben was having none of it. "Of course she was my friend. Remember that party we had in senior year of the academy? I brought her and then you two got talking..." Katie put her hands firmly on her hips, her jaw visibly tightening with each lie. "Well, if you hadn't been blind drunk and stupid, then you'd also remember the ball when I invited her as my guest. You two spent the entire evening dancing together, then you took her to the party." Ben paused for a moment, pretending to cast his mind back before smiling, smugly. "Ah, yes, if memory serves you couldn't find a date." Hitchcock was just about to make a biting comeback when Bridger's face came between them. "Do you two mind? This isn't a school trip, you know."

Before either of them could respond or Nathan could lecture them in full, a voice boomed from the other side of the bay, "Sorry to keep you waiting."  
Nathan turned to see a tall, dark-haired man sauntering over in their direction and, as he came closer, Bridger couldn't help thinking that he looked rather young to be in charge of dealing with the UEO. He didn't like to be age-ist but he rather hoped this was just a messenger for some higher authority. The captain had learned from bitter experience that men who climbed the ladder that quickly usually became pretty reprehensible within the first few weeks of command and were completely intolerable by the time they left the profession, if someone hadn't assassinated them by that time, that is. It was bad enough that seaQuest had been forced to reroute herself in order to respond to Noyce's command without being treated like an ancient fossil by people thirty years younger than him.  
The man was dressed in fairly casual clothes, dark green corduroy trousers with a plain black shirt set off by piercing green eyes and a dazzling Colgate smile. To all intents and purposes, he looked like he would be more at home on a catwalk modelling the Timberlake Winter Collection rather than on a deep sea research platform.  
Nathan attempted to put his prejudices aside as the man offered a firm handshake and politely smiled. "Captain Bridger?" Nathan nodded, trying to be as gracious as his sceptical mind would allow.  
"Yes, and you are?"  
"Dr. Eric Wagner. I'm the head oceanographic scientist on the station at the moment. I'm sorry for the delay down here. There was a bit of a mix up over some information." Bridger waited for a further explanation. "We've been waiting for a vessel to arrive with a chief MEDS representative for the last week. He was supposed to be...uh," Wagner paused and scrubbed one hand over his stubbly chin, clearly uncomfortable. Nathan was getting impatient. "Supposed to what?"  
"Uh, just basic routine inspections...and as I'm sure you will have noticed, our communications leave a lot to be desired. The launch bay is out of operation, too, so you'll have to excuse some of my people's behaviour. Put it down to cabin fever. We've been having some work done on the hydraulics so the shuttles have been put out of order for about a week now." Quickly dismissing the subject, Wagner gestured to a door on the far wall. Krieg gently inquired, "Didn't you get a call from Admiral Noyce saying that we were coming?" Wagner's piercing eyes darted in the lieutenant's direction, his expression undeniably bitter. "Yes, actually I did."  
Krieg hadn't meant it to be a conversation stopper, but he battled on regardless. "Oh, because, perhaps that's why you haven't heard from your MEDS guy. Noyce might have issued a postponement order." Wagner did not reply but led the way into a wide, well-lit corridor and through to a comfortable conference room. Bridger enquired, "What exactly did the admiral tell you about our visit?" Wagner gestured to the seats and sat near the head of the large table, as far away from the UEO crew as possible, crossing his arms in a deliberately defensive position. "That you wanted to check the place out and enforce some ridiculous peace pact with those up top. I should tell you now that they're lying...as always. They'd do anything to shut us down. Listen, we may both be science teams but our aims and objectives are far from synchronized."

Nathan suddenly felt a pang of regret for not having made a better effort to get out of this assignment. After all, it wouldn't have taken long for Noyce to get someone on the Canadian mainland to come down and deal with this. There was a whole ocean out there with no one to defend it while he spent his time listening to scientists tell tales on one another. He was already growing weary of the subject and they hadn't even started yet. Placing his hands firmly on the table and adopting his most diplomatic, no-nonsense tone, Bridger said, "Listen, Dr. Wagner. I won't beat around the bush. We don't want to be here anymore than you want us here, so the quicker we get this job over and done with the better. Now I'm sure that you have plenty of work which needs your attention and we have a job to do, so if you could show us round, we can all get started." Wagner seemed a little perturbed by the captain's firm attitude, but from glancing round at the faces of the other crew, it was clear that there was no point in arguing. "Of course."

(1) - Marine Environmental Data Service


	2. Out Of The Blue - Part 2

Lucas was enjoying the rare sensation of being in another sub-station which actually sported some technology to rival seaQuest and this place was proving to be right up his alley. Every door he peered through seemed to house some instrument or other which caught his fancy and he made mental mutterings of 'cool' every now and again. Kristin had to constantly keep him in check while they moved through the corridors of the MEDS station, pulling on the tails of his shirt or grabbing his arm when he made for some consoles embedded in a wall or an open door leading into a room full of technical candy. She hissed, "Later, Lucas." She had noticed how agitated and irritable Nathan had been since their arrival and she knew that, of all the crew, Lucas was the most likely to push him over edge simply because shouting at a teenager was expected and he couldn't get away with tantrums with the rest of his crew. Fortunately, all he had managed so far were a few glares in the teen's direction as he spoke to Dr. Wagner.  
  
Oblivious to his near misses with the captain, Lucas frowned at the doctor, wishing that he could simply ignore her and hoping that they would find some people his own age just around the next corner. He was disappointed to reach Bridger's temporary quarters without so much as a glimpse of anyone under forty. The station was unusual even by Kristin's standards with twisting corridors which seemed to have few regular features, some covered with panels of switches while others were lined with pipes which ran like blue veins through the ironwork before suddenly submerging into the walls. For safety reasons, it was rare to find a sub-surface structures with so many window panels. The room in which Bridger had assembled his group had one large reinforced viewing area which looked out into the murky depths of the sea. Floodlights provided enough light to see about fifty feet ahead before darkness closed in again. Nathan stood at the head of the table, his hands resting purposefully on the edges.   
"Now, I have spoken at length with Dr. Wagner and we have come to an arrangement. NOSO (1) are claiming the MEDS station to be unfit and unsafe for work, disrupting seismic activity. Admiral Noyce assures me it is likely to be nothing more than hot air, but the matter must be dealt with seriously. We've been drafted in to check the place over, every nook and cranny. Leave no stone unturned." He looked sternly at Lucas, "Lucas, you are going to run through the computer system and check for any possible problems, anything which might lend credence to NOSO's claims that this place is unsafe."   
  
Lucas grinned cheekily at Dr. Westphalen who had been trying to keep his paws off the equipment ever since they had arrived. Now that he had a free rein and the captain's permission, there was little she could do to stop him. Bridger sighed and rubbed his forehead, only deepening the creases which had formed there. "Meanwhile, Ford, Krieg, Hitchcock and Chief Crocker, you will carry out your duties aboard the station just as you would back on seaQuest. The UEO has jurisdiction over everything within this facility and it is our duty to survey the entire area, make a thorough routine check. Report back to me at 1600 hours. Kristin, Dr. Wagner hasn't been able to sing your praises enough. I should imagine you'll be given free run of their laboratories." He glanced around the table, waiting for the inevitable question or comment.   
True to form, it was Krieg who obliged. "Forgive me for asking, sir, but what will you be doing?" Nathan resented the implications of that question but from the quizzical expressions on everyone else's face, it was clear they had all been asking themselves the same thing. "If you must know, I have been asked to review some schematics for a short range exploration vehicle." He was determined not to be forced to elaborate. He had never been answerable to his crew before and he certainly wasn't going to start now. Not one to back down, Ben quickly fired the next question. "Captain, when we will be leaving?"   
"Either when we can give the all clear or if we are required to go top side and get further aid from shore." He sighed, wishing that he didn't have to be the one to sound enthusiastic about this project. "We'll all make the best of it while we're here. I don't want any more complaints. Any other questions?" Lucas looked from one companion to the other, waiting for someone, anyone, to ask what had been on his mind since they had docked. When nobody made a move to say anything, he opened his hands out in a gesture of indifference. "Yeah, actually." Bridger turned to him, his eyes holding a warning note and harnessing a sigh which threatened to escape his lips. He really wasn't in the mood for wise cracks and he was certain his waning patience wouldn't hold out much longer. "Yes, Lucas?"   
"I'd just like to know when the UEO become a maintenance crew? Did I miss something?" Nathan looked at Krieg and Hitchcock to assess their reaction. He expected this kind of question from Lucas, who jumped at any opportunity to highlight what nobody wanted to acknowledge and make everyone feel as small as possible. Neither lieutenant met his gaze, their eyes travelling across the floor or at the fascinating ceiling paint work. "We are not here to run a maintenance check." Lucas nodded, mockingly. "Right. There's nothing wrong with this base, no distress signal, yet we turn seaQuest around and head on in just because a bunch of lab coats start squealing. Now I'm told I have to run system checks on the entire place and you're telling me we haven't just been demoted to engineers? That this isn't just an elaborate plan to keep the wheels oiled?" Nathan stared at him but said nothing, "Come on, captain. What aren't you telling us? There's got to be more to this than that, right? Some kind of military cover up which we're here to expose?" His mind racing with all the exciting possibilities, Lucas continued, his blue eyes wide and gleaming with animation. "Because if I've got to sit staring at their environmental database for days on end, I'd like to know if I should be looking for signs of a nuclear warhead hidden somewhere in the files on jellyfish." He took a large gulp of air, giving Nathan a chance to interrupt, his hands raised in mock surrender. "I'm relieved to say that seaQuest is not always involved in something quite so dramatic. Aside from 'squealing lab coats', there may be some validity to NOSO's claims of high risk earthquakes. Drilling into the rock face could be having a dangerous effect on plate movement."   
Lucas snorted, "Are you kidding? This place is sitting right on the ridge, they get earthquakes all the time. I mean, the base was completely destroyed less than eighty years ago." Commander Ford had been quietly standing by, an observer in everything which had happened since they had arrived at the base. He had not failed to notice the strange behaviour of Dr. Wagner and was all too familiar with the face of someone who had something to hide. He snapped, "Would you rather be back on seaQuest, Lucas? It can be arranged." Lucas sank back into his chair, silent. In the uncomfortable silence which followed his outburst, Ford began to regret his bitterness. It wasn't Lucas that was the problem, but he wanted to find out what was going on round here instead of sitting around conjuring up reasons why they should leave. Softening his tone, he added, "I think the quicker we get started the better."  
Ben Krieg had been waiting for that decision; the less time he spent in his ex-wife's company right now, the better. "Hear, hear." Nathan nodded and began dishing out official orders when there was a knock at the door. "Come in." An alert, male face tentatively peered round the door. "Um, I'm here for a..." He glanced down at a piece of crumpled paper in his hand, "...Lucas Wolenczak." Lucas stood up, reluctantly, and sauntered over to the door. He turned back as if to say something before thinking better of it and stepping outside.  
  
************  
  
Once in the corridor, the man turned to Lucas and looked him up and down. The boy didn't need to be a mind reader to figure out what he was thinking. "I know, I seem pretty young for this, right?" The man, probably in his mid-forties, was short and barrel-chested with round, pebble glasses and a shock of quiffed brown hair set off by a regulation plaid shirt. "Actually, I was just putting the face to the name. Frank Desoze, at your service." Lucas shook the hand offered and began to wonder which was worse, having someone treat him like a young upstart or a kid genius whose every breath was like magic. "Nice to meet you." He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets, waiting for Frank to make a move, but he simply stood there, staring. "Shall we?" Lucas prompted.   
"Oh, yeah, right. Um, I'll take you to the main control centre. You can find everything about the centre on the databases there." Moving down the winding corridors, they eventually came to rest at the furthest point from where the seaQuest was docked. Frank pushed open the door and Lucas was confronted with a room full of panels and computer monitors, big screens and electronic consoles. The only signs of human activity were two people wandering between the wires and apparatus, jotting down notes on clipboards before moving on. Frank led Lucas over to a more secluded work station around the corner and gestured to the seat. Sitting down and flexing his fingers, Lucas quickly accessed the mainframe. Frank leaned over him and the teenager could feel the man's eyes boring into his back, scrutinising what the genius boy was going to do next. "Most of this stuff is environmental science bases, you know, all the usual observation results and marine data. It's all way below your expertise." Lucas drew his brow into a frown, examining the information flashing in front of him as his fingers flew across the keyboard with lightning speed. Without looking up, he muttered, "Yeah, well the captain wants me to cover everything, so..."  
Frank shrugged and backed off a little, pointing to some of the other screens and equipment round the room, explaining their purpose and wittering on about access codes. Lucas was only half listening, eager to get this job finished so that he could leave, "Great, that's great." Eventually, he reached an impasse in the system; well, he knew he could figure the codes out for himself, but it would save time if Frank just gave them to him. "Could I have those access codes?" Frank moved closer and craned his neck over the work station to try and see what Lucas was doing. "Can't you get in yourself?" Lucas scratched the back of his head, sighing in exasperation. "Yeah, of course, but I don't have time to sit here and work them out." A spark of a smile crossed Frank's face and he wrung his hands in a horribly Scrooge-style movement, "Can't you just do one, for me? I've never seen a hacker at work." Lucas rolled his eyes, "Well, it doesn't look all that much different from standard typing, and I'm not a hacker. I'm head of mammal engineering." The man's gaze did not waver. "Come on, Frank. Give me a break." He was about to protest and insist on getting the base's manuals, but something about the look in Frank's eyes made him relent. "Okay, just one, then I really need the codes. I don't want to be here all day." Frank nodded emphatically,  
"Yeah, I promise." Turning his attention back to the blinking screen, Lucas began to frantically type in strings of garbled words and fragments of equations. Within ten minutes the first code was done and the teenager was relieved to be left alone for five seconds while the technician disappeared off to find the manuals.   
  
He wasn't gone long enough and Lucas found himself physically gritting his teeth to prevent himself from saying something he shouldn't. Frank should consider himself lucky that the teen's hands were occupied with typing or he might just deck him. He managed to control his temper for another half hour before he couldn't stand it a moment longer and spent more energy trying to think of ways to get rid of the man than he spent on the programs themselves. "Hey, Frank? Are you hungry?"  
Frank shook his head, not even noticing the hint let alone taking it and leaving. "No."  
"Well, I'm starving. Could you grab me something?" Frank gave him a venomous glare and Lucas was momentarily afraid that he was going to punch him and the phrase, 'If looks could kill...' flitted across his mind. Standing up slowly, the man glanced from the teenager to the monitor, then wagged his finger in Lucas' face. "Don't do anything while I'm gone. I want to see it all."   
"Promise." Waiting until Frank was out of earshot, Lucas muttered, "Ctrl-Alt-Delete isn't exactly rocket science." Rubbing a hand over his eyes, which were beginning to feel sore from staring at the screen for so long, he began typing again, glancing over to the manual every now and again.   
Hearing footsteps behind him, Lucas felt something inside him snap. "Listen, Frank. To be perfectly...frank, I'd get this done a lot quicker if you'd just..."  
"Great welcome for someone you haven't seen in months." Lucas whirled round in his seat when he heard not the gruff tone of Frank but a high, female voice. A girl stood in front of him, a smug smile stretching from ear to ear. "Cleo! My God, what are you doing here? I mean, it's great to see you." He stood up and she hugged him tightly and Lucas had a momentary flash of the time they had danced together after she had been rescued from the Landau Munitions Depot in the Indian Ocean. He inhaled the scent of her coconut shampoo, noticing for the first time how foreign it felt to have someone so close to him. He may have found a surrogate family onboard seaQuest, but physical affection was rare, especially since instinct had taught him always to push people away rather than open up to them. Cleo had been like a kindred spirit among all those adults, someone who had suffered like he had.   
She pulled away from him and looked him up and down, "I heard you were here and I came looking."  
"How come you're on a MEDS post?" Cleo perched on the edge of the console, her small frame fitting snugly without pressing any buttons. "Well, it's kind of a long story, but basically my time on the depot worked in my favour when it came to career choices. I managed to get a job down here, just basic stuff. I'm not qualified to do much yet, but it's a start, right?" Lucas nodded, unable to wipe the smile off his face. He had hoped to find someone close to his age down here but he certainly hadn't dared hope to find someone he actually knew, even better, liked...a lot. Smoothing his hands over the knees of his trousers, he said, "I can't believe this. It's great."   
Cleo laughed, "I know. Isn't it weird how being underwater can be so isolating that you don't even recognise it until something like this happens to shake you up? Up top, we spend our time trying to avoid certain friends but down here I find myself seeking out my enemies just to have someone close to my own age to talk to."  
"Yeah, part of me can't wait to get older so I'll be the right age to be friends with everyone else on seaQuest, by which time they'll all be old and retired." Cleo twisted herself round to examine the screen he had been working with and screwed up her nose. "Looks like fun." Lucas raised his eyebrows and ran one hand over his chin, "Yep, sure is, especially with your trusty colleague and my extra shadow working with me - correction, watching me."  
"Frank?"  
"Yeah, is he always this..." Lucas searched for the appropriate word, "...intense?" Cleo smiled and leaned close to his ear, lowering her voice to a loud whisper. "He's kind of weird, but I swear he has ears on the soles of his feet, so I should warn you..."  
"Cleo. Shouldn't you be working somewhere?" Frank's irritated face, already turning an unhealthy shade of crimson, appeared around the bend and he didn't seem the slightest bit concerned about the bitter, jealous tone which permeated his voice. Cleo pulled a quick face at Lucas as Frank put a sandwich and drink carton down beside the console. The girl swung her legs off the table and turned defiantly to the older technician. "Lucas and I are going to lunch together." She widened her eyes at Lucas, prompting him to back her up, "Yeah, that's right," he stammered. Frank's expression fell into a look of clear dejection and the teenager suddenly felt a pang of regret for sounding so callous and felt the need to elaborate and perhaps make him feel better. "We've actually known each other for a while, got a lot of catching up to do." Cleo nodded, catching her friend's hand and backing him away from the work station as Frank watched, his face as mask of passivity. "Oh, well, if you need me..."   
Cleo finished the sentence for him, "...we know where to find you, Frank. Thanks." She turned and dragged Lucas out into the hallway, quickly making her way down the corridor and another flight of stairs before swinging open a door and pulling Lucas inside after her.   
  
************  
  
Lucas looked around him, realising that this must be Cleo's bedroom. The walls were pretty bare but there were a couple of battered, old posters adorning the plain white paint work and there were rows of well-worn books, mostly romances. There were no toys or frilly pillows, but the room still had a distinctly feminine feel to it. Perching awkwardly on the edge of the bed, Lucas noticed a mini disk deck beside the bed with the song he had given her on seaQuest at the top of the pile, 'Take Me With You'. Cleo didn't seem disturbed by his scrutiny of her private space but simply allowed him the chance to take everything in before sitting close beside him. "So, I finally got a place to call home."   
Lucas smiled, nervously, "Yeah, it's nice, better than seaQuest."   
"I don't know about that, but I like it." Cleo looked at him, her eyes wide and clear just as he remembered from the first moment they had met, an open book, eager and accepting. She gestured to the pile of disks, "I've still got your song. I never really got around to buying any more." Lucas was grateful to have a subject totally unrelated to sex or gender and quickly piped up, "Oh, you should have called me. I would have made you a compilation."  
"That would be great." Trying to think of something else to say which would fill the awkward silence suddenly descending on the room, Lucas asked again, "So, tell me how you got here. I mean, we're on the tip of nowhere, deep underwater on a research station. Last time I saw you, you were at Pearl Harbour waiting for social services."   
Cleo shrugged, "Oh, I stayed with the group for a while but as soon as I turned sixteen I left." Her tone was nonchalant but Lucas sensed the deliberate attempt at casual. "Why?"  
"Everything changed. After so long at the depot I guess I didn't really know how to deal with being up on dry land anymore." Her voice suddenly took on a more melancholy tone, "Zach and the others all supported each other but I guess I just...I was always the mother figure to them and suddenly I didn't have a place in their lives anymore. Suddenly they didn't want me...or need me." Lucas could hear the tremor in her voice and she swallowed hard before continuing, "It's just so different up there and there was no one like me, no one who understood." She broke off, abruptly and put one hand up to her face, wiping angrily at the tears which were threatening to spill down her cheeks. Lucas, painfully aware of the tentative kiss which had sealed their last meeting, wasn't sure how things stood between them and he slowly draped his arm around her shoulders. She immediately responded, drawing herself closer to him as he held her and smoothed the fronds of light brown hair away from her face. "Hey, it's okay." Lucas had never been in the comforting position much, always finding himself on the receiving end of some kind of punishment or apology for it. Yet, it felt strangely liberating to have someone to look after. He knew what a hard time Cleo had experienced down on the depot, left with no parents at the age of fifteen to look after four children, excluding Zach, all by herself. Their lives had been so different in lots of ways but so similar in others. During the latter few years of the boy's life, he had been answerable to every single person around him while Cleo had been expected to take the world onto her narrow shoulders. Yet, despite these conflicting experiences, both had learned the bitter lesson that they could only rely on themselves, that anyone else would only let them down or cause further trouble. They had learned the fine art of autarky at a torturously tender age.  
  
Suddenly pulling away and sitting bolt upright, Cleo wiped again at her bleary eyes and sniffed, "I'm sorry. I don't know where that came from."   
"It's okay." She sniffed again and Lucas rummaged around on her table top until he found some tissues and handed one to her. "Thanks, Lucas." She pulled her legs up underneath her and leaned back against the wall behind her bed before finally making eye contact with him again. "God, I feel so stupid." Lucas thought she still looked pretty even when she was crying, but didn't think he should voice that particular thought. "Don't."  
"You just arrive and I start blubbering like a baby. I don't know what set it off." Lucas pulled himself up alongside her. "It was probably me." Cleo managed a slight chuckle. "No, I'm serious. I mean, I probably triggered memories of the day we pulled you out of that depot." Cleo said nothing but he could hear from her breathing that she was trying to stop herself from crying again. He didn't know what he should say to comfort her and the words which came to mind would only make her more upset anyway. Yet, somehow, he felt that it was important that he say it. "If it's any help, I know what it feels like...up there." He waited for her to turn on him and tell him that he knew nothing about her situation, but she sat quietly. He went on, "I remember when I finished my first tour on seaQuest and I went back to see my parents. It felt so weird. I'd spent fifteen years of my life stuck in the middle of their problems and when my dad shipped me off to the submarine I was miserable, but I was lucky. Bridger made me feel like a person again, like someone cared about me. Maybe that's what made it so hard to go back home again. I couldn't even handle the little things anymore like dinner with my mom. It was as if it was all too much. I was so relieved to get back to seaQuest again." He looked up from fiddling with a paper clip which he had straightened out and found himself staring into Cleo's swimming blue eyes. He laughed, nervously, "I never told anyone that." She held his gaze for a long moment before leaning towards Lucas and planting a soft kiss on his lips. "Thank you." Her self-assurance put the teenager on edge but a greater part of him wanted to be near to her. It was like there was a invisible connection between them, tugging them closer even though they barely knew each other. He managed a smile in response to her kiss just as a buzzing sound jolted them out of their romantic haze.  
  
"Cleo?" Leaning over Lucas, the girl flicked a switch and brought Dr. Wagner's face into sharp focus on the vidlink. "Yep."  
"I hope you're not detaining Mr. Wolenczak. Captain Bridger doesn't want to be stuck here any longer than necessary."   
"No, I was just showing him a few..." Lucas twisted until he was in view of Wagner and helped her out. "I needed to check a few ports around the station. Cleo was just giving me a hand." Wagner looked at him through piercing, suspicious eyes then glanced back at Cleo as if trying to communicate something to her. Lucas didn't notice the curt nod she gave the doctor and the cold, pursed-lipped expression on her face as she did so. "Fine. Just don't get in the way." The screen went abruptly blank.   
Cleo got up from the bed, "Come on. I'll show you round the rest of the station."  
  
************  
  
Nathan had been sitting in the conference room since they had arrived at the station, glancing unenthusiastically over the vehicle blueprints given to him by Dr. Wagner. The plans were hardly the stuff of rocket science and the task was starting to make the papers back on seaQuest look like a classic Tom Clancy novel. Shoving the dull articles away from him, Bridger decided to see what everyone else was up to, starting with Kristin. From the expression on her face when they had parted ways, she was probably having the time of her life and making plenty of friends while she was at it. In fact, the captain had already started to feel a little left out on this trip. Both Dr. Westphalen and Lucas were considered great assets and had been treated like demi-gods since their arrival while the other crew members had each other to depend on while they went about their work. Once again, Nathan was forced to remember that he had personally assigned a large part of his pay packet to the anti-social, solitary aspects of the job, followed closely by the whole responsible-for-peace-keeping-the-world's-oceans bit. He may have spent a considerable amount of time alone on his island but adjusting to life among other people again had brought with it certain pangs for company which sometimes only served to remind him of how lonely he often felt.  
  
Ducking out of the room like an errant school boy, Nathan headed towards the laboratories. Kristin looked up from her work just as he passed the window and she waved him in, her unbridled energy clear even from where the captain was standing.   
"Nathan, I'm so glad you're here. I was starting to think I'd have to celebrate this find all by myself." She steered him by the shoulders towards the microscope she had been peering into. "Look." Nathan squinted through one eye and focused on some rather watery, round, greenish cells. "What am I looking at?"   
"A brand new life form. This species has never been recorded anywhere in the world before." Nathan looked up at the doctor, trying his hardest to muster up some interest in this project. He was beginning to understand how Lucas felt on a daily basis, being lectured on the amazing properties of sea sponges and fish eggs. "They look pretty ordinary to me. What do they do?" Kristin's shoulders sagged with the realization that Nathan was far from being interested in her discovery. She repeated the question, blankly. "What do they do? What do you mean? They're algae specimens. They're algae! You do know what that is, don't you, Nathan?"   
He ignored the condescending tone and way Kristin had drawn in her cheeks sourly, the trademark of displaying how serious she was about something. "Yes, yes, I know what it is but...I just wondered whether it did anything, you know, special?" He could barely believe how ridiculous he sounded, even to himself. With one stern look from her, he had been demoted from captain to deck hand status.   
Brushing him aside, Kristin made a 'tut-tutting' sound with her tongue and peered through the microscope again. "What is it with you men? First Lucas, now you. Everything has to do something. You're never content for things to just exist or evolve." Nathan suddenly felt himself grow defensive, "That's not true."  
"Oh, really? Look at the seaQuest. You and Lucas spend nearly as much time planning improvements on something which already defies nature as you do running what's there already. Men are never satisfied with their lot. There always has to be something bigger and better to move on to."  
"Only with some things. I was content with my life, the simple pleasures, until my wife died. Family is what makes a man stable. If he truly loves his family, that is enough. Improvement is simply a bonus and that's why Lucas is the way he is. Just wait until he gets himself a girlfriend, then we'll see how much work he gets done." Kristin laughed and shook her head in mock exasperation.   
"Oh, Nathan. Sometimes I think a girlfriend is exactly what that boy needs. It must be very frustrating to be the only person under twenty-one on seaQuest, not to mention lonely."  
"Perhaps, but then perhaps a friend would do, then we could still get something done." Kristin jumped to the boy's defence. "Give him a chance. Don't forget, right now he is working on those computer systems for you and he hasn't complained once." Nathan widened his eyebrows; surely she hadn't forgotten the comments he had made since their arrival. If that was a sign of enjoyment then the captain truly had been out of the loop for a long time.  
  
************  
  
Lucas wrapped his arms around Cleo's waist as she pulled him even closer to her against the table housing the computer, their movements only breaking the kiss for a moment. Coming up for air, Cleo whispered, "Maybe we should go somewhere more private. People are always traipsing around this area. Someone might see us." Lucas brushed a strand of light brown hair away from her face, feeling an inexplicable need to touch her all the time. As if on cue, a man in a lab coat marched past where they were sitting, casting a disapproving frown in their direction before moving on.   
  
Lucas helped Cleo off his knee where she had been half perched and ran one slender hand through his hair. "I'd better get this system checked out first. The captain will kill me if I come back after a day without any progress. He's already pretty pissed about this trip." A wicked thought went through his mind and he grinned. "Although, if I get through this, I could stall him for a few more days, say something about a contaminated area or something." Cleo smiled, her eyes shining with delight. "Great. I'll let you get on with it and come back later." Planting a kiss firmly on his lips, she sauntered towards the door, turning to blow him another before disappearing into the corridor.  
  
Lucas was annoyed that he had to run a stupid systems check which any program could do for him when he could be spending time with his new girlfriend, but it was easier to work without her looking over his shoulder. When she did that, all he could sense was the smell of clean washing and the proximity of her hand from his or her breath against his neck. Focusing as much as his addled brain would allow, the teenager began running through the systems, barely glancing at the books beside him which he should have been taking into account at the same time. He had done enough of these checks while on seaQuest to know any mother system inside and back to front. It didn't even take a genius mind like his to do it. In fact, if Lucas wasn't so caught up in the snare of love, he would probably be sulking with the sort of vehemence he usually reserved for the times when Bridger refused to let him have shore leave or some new equipment when he wanted it.  
  
He ploughed through the monotonous clearance codes and level security for the entire station and was just about falling asleep when something caught his attention. Below the catalogues of in-going and out-going samples, produce and finance was one particularly dubious heading marked 'Project Classified'. Leaning forward and drawing his brow into a frown of concentration, Lucas typed various code combinations in an effort to access the file. When he found that nothing had worked, he began leafing through the manuals stacked beside his chair, thumbing through all the ground level basics, but still he found nothing useful. Well, at least this is a challenge, he thought.  
  
After half an hour of examining the intricacies of seaweed farming and seasonal redfish catches which the teenager assured himself was just a cover-up attempt, Lucas found what he had been looking for. Wasn't this exactly what Bridger had been going on about that morning? Under the pile of typical environmentalist occupations, he had uncovered the data on mining into the landmass adjacent to the station. Flicking through the files, he was surprised to find that there still didn't seem to be any sign of illegal behaviour or digging into dangerous areas of the cliff face. However, Lucas had been unfortunate enough to have plenty of experience in covert operations. Whoever had set up this secure area had been so thorough that they had only proven there was something to hide there. Delving further into the level six clearance documents, Lucas tried to tag something, anything, which would prove him right. He found indexes about different gemmology, rock types; their optical properties and durability but his interest in bits of rock was limited and Lucas couldn't see anything which should strike him as strange.  
  
He was so deeply involved in his studies that he almost jumped out of his skin when two arms wrapped themselves around his neck and Cleo rested her chin on his shoulder. "Hey. How's it going?" Lucas rubbed her hand lightly and blinked away the semi-paralysis which had set in his eyes. "Um, fine. Actually I'm glad you're here, maybe you can help me out."  
"How?" Lucas pointed to the screen and the endless list of minerals, scrolling down the page. "What's all this? Why is it such high security? It all looks pretty basic to me." Cleo stiffened slightly and stepped back. "Oh, you know, just the mining stuff." Lucas spun round in his chair to face her.   
"Yeah, but nobody showed me any of those places. Where do you mine from?"  
"There's an entrance to that area through the back of the station."  
"Why haven't I seen it?"   
Cleo shrugged, avoiding eye contact with him. "I guess nobody thought it was important. I mean, it's just a hole in the rock where the scientists have been digging study samples." Lucas nodded, watching her carefully and noted the sudden change in her behaviour as she withdrew from him. He indicated to the computer, "There's nothing here which would be dangerous, no radioactive materials or anything."  
"Exactly."   
Lucas scrutinised her for a moment longer and she felt herself recoiling under that liquid blue gaze. He gently asked, "So why are you so nervous all of a sudden?" Cleo's eyes suddenly snapped onto his and he could see that they were welling up with tears. He stood up and moved over to her but she resisted his touch. "Cleo, what is it?"  
"Nothing." Her voice sounded shaky.  
"Then will you take me to the mine entrance?" Lucas tried to sound kind but 'nothing' wouldn't upset her this much and it was part of his job to find out what was going on. Besides, the UEO had been sent in with specific instructions to investigate the rock side of the station for any possible contributors to the alterations in seismic activity. He half expected her to refuse but Cleo simply nodded and made for the door with Lucas in tow.  
  
************  
  
Cleo led Lucas to the rear of the station where a single door, grimy with earth and dust separated them from the mining quarter of the construct. She typed in a code quickly, her fingers flitting over the buttons so fast that Lucas didn't even see what the numbers were. Leaning hard against the stiff frame, she twisted the wheel that sealed the chamber and it slowly swung open heavily on its hinges.   
  
Lucas was expecting to see something pretty advanced to require such security measures - some hi-tech equipment, top of the line computers or hazardous substances. Instead, he was both relieved and disappointed to be confronted with an empty cavern. To his untrained eye, it perfectly resembled any old beach cave with dark grey rocks jutting from the makeshift walls and marred only by the recent scars of hasty excavation.   
"This is it?" He stepped into the centre of the cavern and Cleo followed suit, her eyes never leaving Lucas' face. "Why was this such a big secret?" She shrugged, refusing to answer. Lucas was bemused by her silence and it set off the warning lights in his brain. Something about this wasn't quite right and she was acting way too edgy for it to be nothing. Cleo had always been fairly forthcoming with how she felt and this sudden hesitation put him on edge. Moving back towards the light which trickled through the open door and drew their shadows up the walls and ceiling, Lucas rested a hand reassuringly on his girlfriend's shoulder. "Cleo, what's the matter? You've been acting weird ever since I found out about this place." He laughed and gestured to the rough hewn walls, "I mean, it's just a cave. I don't see what the big deal is." At this, Cleo swallowed dryly and looked at him. Should she tell him the truth? Lucas had been such a good friend to her when she had been rescued and brought to seaQuest. How could she hide anything from him? Then again, this was just work. It had nothing to do with her relationship with him and the mining wasn't exactly doing any harm to anyone...was it? Cleo had told herself that there was nothing wrong here countless times but every time she was left with a strange sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She may not know the science and it was nothing more than a gut instinct, but the secrecy which surrounded the project made her uneasy and she longed for someone to confide in.   
  
If she told Lucas, she would inevitably lose her job for giving out confidential information. Lucas' sympathetic, blue eyes watched her in the gloom of the doorway and a small smile of reassurance played across his lips. Just that tiny movement sent waves of warmth through Cleo, proving to her that there was someone here who could make her feel cared for, who made her feel safe. So what if she lost her job; maybe Lucas could persuade Captain Bridger to let her stay on seaQuest with them. Hardly daring to hope, she took a deep breath and decided to tell him everything about the project. "This isn't where the real mining starts." Lucas felt a wave of relief that Cleo was finally opening up again but the grip she tightened on his hand gave him cause for concern. Her expression had risen from solemn passivity to wild intensity and she pointed to something yellow hanging on the wall inside the door. "Grab that torch and follow me." Lucas obliged and switched the torch on, spreading its beam around the interior of the cave. He was surprised to see that there was actually another door in the rear with another password keypad beside it. Cleo punched in another number and Lucas made a mental note of the digits, unsure of whether he might need them again.   
  
Expecting to see another cave, he almost dropped the torch when he entered. This cave was nothing like the previous one; from about waist level upwards was the same black rock but the bottom half of the room was made of a strange stone matter which seemed to undulate with different colours. It could have been a trick of the torch light, but sometimes the rocks looked blue then pink, slowly moving into a burgundy colour before brown, black and back to blue where it rested. Lucas breathed, "Wow!" Cleo flicked a switch and the room was bathed in a soft white light which only served to reflect the blue colour even more vividly. He knelt down beside one wall and ran his hand over the rock face, savouring its coolness under his fingers. "What is this stuff?" Cleo never felt comfortable in this room and always tried to swap her shifts with someone else. That was always easy because the few others involved in the project seemed to love the stuff, secreting samples into pockets and bags for all kinds of mysterious purposes, only some of them legal. Despite this, she did feel more at ease now that Lucas was with her and, no matter what her reservations, it was mesmerisingly beautiful in here. "I don't really know, some kind of tourmaline extract, I think."  
"Tourmaline? That makes sense." Cleo moved over to him, sitting beside him on the floor as they watched the changing colours in front of them. She linked an arm through his and said, "It's beautiful, isn't it? Like our very own northern lights hundreds of feet below sea level." Now that the initial panic and curiosity of finding out what was going on back here had been diffused, Lucas just wanted to forget about the computer programs. Everything was running fine and there was clearly nothing to be worried about here. Tourmaline mining was legitimate and they had barely chipped into the cliff face so there was no risk of unbalancing natural tectonic shifts. Whoever came up with that one had clearly been hunting for something to hit these people with for a long time and it had been a long shot.   
  
Cupping her face in his hands, he drew Cleo closer to him and leaned in to kiss her. She responded, running her hands through his blonde hair before he pulled away. They made out for a while, neither one knew how long, and then settled back against the rock together, still in awe of the organic beauty all around them. Eventually, Lucas broke the silence. "Why were you so worried about bringing me here?"  
"I don't know. I guess I just always feel a bit...afraid."  
"Why?" Cleo sat up straight and looked at Lucas, her face grim and serious.  
"Because we haven't just been mining it, Lucas."  
"What do you mean?" She pointed to the equipment in the centre of the room, consisting of reflectance meters, thermal conductance testers and other contraptions Lucas couldn't put a name to. "Look around you. Do you see any vehicles for transporting the rock?" He had to admit that there was no trace of mining here at all. It was as if the rock had just disappeared and there was no record on the database of it being transported anywhere. "They don't take it anywhere, they use it." Lucas was confused. None of this made any sense; what possible use could a gem like tourmaline have in a research sub-station? "What for?"  
"All kinds of things, but I only see a few, like the power to light this room." She pointed to the switch on the wall. "It isn't wired to anything. It runs off the rock." Cleo seemed unnerved simply by explaining this to someone else and Lucas tried to reassure her. "That's possible. I mean, just as some rocks have magnetic properties, this one might have some kind of short-term electromagnetic aspect. So, what else do they use it for?"  
"Sometimes they process it into powder and test it on life forms collected from the sea bed. They seem to thrive on it." Lucas jumped up, suddenly aware of the potential gold mine they were sitting on here. It would mean a fond farewell to batteries in favour of never ending supplies of this tourmaline derivative. Similarly, if this were organic, as some gems were, then there was no end to the possible uses for it. "Yeah, of course!" he exclaimed.  
"What?"  
"Well, there are organic and inorganic gems. The organic ones have a mineral content, too, like pearls, coral, ivory, even bone. If marine life is somehow consuming them...well, that would be an amazing breakthrough. Imagine if we could tap rocks as a source of nutrients. My God, it's no wonder the station kept this under wraps. I mean, this isn't your average tourmaline gem. It might be part of the same mineral family but there is no history of being able to use rocks for anything like food before, let alone generating light like this." He paused, surveying the room. "On the other hand though, organic gems are non-crystalline." Cleo was already completely lost. She felt a bit daunted by the sudden onslaught of scientific facts Lucas was throwing her way. "What does that mean?" Lucas was blissfully unaware of her inability to follow his train of thought. "The atoms and molecules in non-crystalline gems are positioned randomly throughout the material and don't have a specific pattern so they never occur in a particular shape. Tourmaline does. It always takes on a trigonal prism shape regardless of how many times it is cleaved."  
"So?"  
"So..." Lucas picked up a couple of small pieces of chiselled rock from the floor near where some mining equipment had been left and rolled it round in his hand, "...these pieces are randomly spliced." His eyes gleamed with a kind of mania Cleo had never seen before. "This rock might be a completely new species, a hybrid of both organic and inorganic." He chuckled, "And to think Dr. Westphalen was going on about having a new algae sample." Lucas bent over and offered Cleo his hand to pull her up.   
"Where are we going?"  
"To tell her. She'll flip..." At this, Cleo's eyes widened and she pulled back on his arm, shaking her head emphatically. "No, no, Lucas we can't!" Oblivious to the genuine urgency her voice betrayed, Lucas lunged for the door again, only to be tugged back. Taking in the anguished expression her face, he realized how upset Cleo was by this decision. "Why not?"   
"No one's supposed to know about it...especially not you." Lucas glanced towards the doorway, only a few steps and he would be out in the corridor and feet away from his own crew. It would be so easy to obey what his body was telling him to do, to shrug Cleo off and seek out Dr. Westphalen or the captain, but his heart staid him. Taking the girl's hands in his own, he faced her. "Listen, Cleo. This is a research station. They're supposed to be discovering new stuff - it's their job. You won't get into trouble if the UEO know."  
Cleo stared at him through swimming blue eyes, silently pleading for him to believe her. "Lucas, I'd lose my job...everything I've worked so hard for."   
He paused, digesting what she was saying in light of everything which had happened since his arrival. How could he keep this find a secret? It was an advancement which could affect the whole world. It was the discovery of an entirely new and inexhaustible fuel source, untapped since its formation millions of years ago and that was something no crew of scientists could keep to themselves for long. Then again, how could he betray Cleo after everything she had told him, the problems she had struggled with on land, problems he claimed to understand? Despite the tears she had shed back in her room, he had noticed how confident and happy she had been showing him around. With one move, he could jeopardize everything. For the first time in his life, Lucas was torn between his love of science and the love he felt for his girlfriend. He had only really known her for such a short time but it felt different, it felt right to be together. Even if they broke up tomorrow, he wasn't sure his conscience could cope with the knowledge that he was responsible for her inevitable unhappiness. "Listen, Cleo, MEDS won't be able to keep this a secret much longer anyway. Someone is going to find out and it will only make matters worse for them." She turned away, unconvinced. "They don't own this rock face so they can't make profit off it. Turning this mining discovery over to the government is going to happen sooner or later, it's just a question of how stupid Wagner is. Only personal greed drives people to keep this kind of thing to themselves." He pulled her round by the shoulders, forcing her gaze to meet with his. "Come on, Cleo. Surely you can see that it's the right thing to do. I'll tell them that I forced you to bring me here. I mean, it's the truth, isn't it?"   
  
Cleo didn't know what to say. She had not dared to hope that Lucas would leave it be and she had been right to do so. He was a technician, a computer expert, a scientist and, first and foremost, a genius. What possible hold could a girl have over the voracious appetite built into him? She had been a fool to expect him to roll over and forget about any UEO ethics just because she had kissed him. It was time that she resigned herself to the hard truth that Lucas was too good a man for her. Here she was, expecting him to lie or, at the very least, withhold information for her, when one of the traits she had loved most about him was his honesty and inherently good nature. Yet, there was a part of her which knew that corrupting Lucas was not the only thing preying on her mind. A much bigger part of her was already panicking at the prospect of being sent back to the temporary 'home' she had left when the seaQuest had dropped her off at Pearl Harbour. It made her heart skip a beat just thinking about it and Cleo could feel a sickening recoiling sensation in her stomach making her feel momentarily dizzy. If it was having this effect already, what chance did she stand when the launch took her to the surface with her last pay cheque in hand?  
  
Lucas squeezed her hand to bring her back to reality and then offered, "Look, let's think about this for a while. We've got hours before I'm supposed to report back to the captain. Maybe I've been a bit hasty." Cleo forced a smile even though her heart wasn't in it like a man on death row, she'd take every spare second offered her.   
  
(1) National Oceanography & Seismology Organization  
  
************  



	3. Out Of The Blue - Part 3

OUT OF THE BLUE (PART 3)

By Allegra

See Part One for disclaimers etc.

Ben Krieg had been listening to his assigned tour guide moan on about the cost of research equipment for the past hour and it took all the lieutenant's waning self control not to tell him to stick his complaints where the sun don't shine. Unfortunately for him, the sun didn't shine at the sea floor which meant he was going to be listening to this monologue for some time more.  
Finally, Dr. Rowe ground to a halt, vocally and physically, in front of a small door at the far end of the corridor. It would be too much for Krieg to hope that this might be his drop-off point and optimism could almost be his middle name. "Now, if we could just bump off the goons taking ice samples up there, perhaps we could get some of the important stuff done round here." Rowe pushed open the door and stepped through into a small office, littered with unbridled papers which spilled onto the floor and threatened to flutter from the overstuffed binders beside the desk. Krieg may not be the tidiest man in the world but he had a certain personal pride in some things, yet this man seemed to have a totally unhindered hatred of anything bordering on organisation. Oh, this was going to be fun.

Picking up one of the obese files and tentatively glancing at the top sheets of its contents, Ben said, "I suppose the...state...of this information is the NOSO's fault, too?" He made no effort to hide the sardonic tone to his voice and he noticed Dr. Rowe's cheeks colouring a little. At first, Krieg imagined he might have had an impact and humbled the good doctor but he was sorely mistaken. The crimson hue suddenly adorning his skin was nothing more than a warning of the eruption which would follow it. Dr. Rowe had been the picture of helpfulness and meekness since the seaQuest crew had arrived.  
Boring beyond all call of duty, but gentle nevertheless. So, it was with some trepidation that Ben chose to sit down while the torrent of abuse was hurled in his general direction. "Those people should all be gutted like fish, hung from hooks like the damned seals they're constantly trying to protect! They're responsible for the state of everything down here! You can blame them for the mess in this room, the rust on the pipe work, the bad food in the cafeteria and especially the fact that you had to come here in the first place!"  
Ben raised his hands in mock surrender, "Woah, there! I was kidding...well, kinda." Rowe opened his mouth to say something, pointing his finger menacingly at the lieutenant but Krieg quickly cut him off. "Hey, enough with the finger pointing, okay?! Don't forget I'm a representative of the UEO and I could have you up on charges in moments. All it takes is a word in the right person's ear and, as the supplies and morale officer, I know..."  
"Okay, okay. I just get so frustrated!" Rowe put deliberate and frightening emphasis on the last word and Krieg made a mental note to the man's superior that someone might be getting a little attack of cabin fever. It would probably be doing the whole world a favour if they released him onto land. An anonymous friend could put a sledge hammer in his hand and he could wreak merry revenge on the opposition taking all his funding.

Gesturing to the wad of papers he held in one hand, Ben cleared his throat. "I suggest we get started on this stuff and perhaps I can give you a few pointers on keeping your budget under control." Rowe's eyes widened with interest and he sat edgily on his seat, "How?" A wicked smile played across the lieutenant's lips, lighting his eyes with a demonic gleam, "Oh, a little tweak here, a little nod there, you know." Rowe suddenly sat back on his chair, drawing his back poker straight and adjusting his glasses precisely on the end of his snubby nose. "I don't wish to be associated with criminal activities, Mr. Krieg."  
Belatedly recognizing his mistake in seeking an ally in the prim and proper scientist, Ben restated his intentions. "Oh, of course not. What do you take me for? A crook? Come on, give the UEO some credit...give me some credit! I'm just saying that there are ways to cut down on your expenditure which means more finance for other projects." He turned the page on the first file he held and pointed to an item half way down the list. "Like here, for instance." Taking devilish delight in the sound of his own voice and the lecture he was about to begin, Ben hunched down over the papers. "See, if you rethink the budget for this section, then your outgoings will be..."

Commander Ford was grateful to be back on seaQuest, after Captain Bridger asked him to deal with some communications from the UEO Headquarters at Pearl Harbour. Nathan had been eager to go himself but Noyce had been firm about where his man belonged and Jonathan was beginning to appreciate the finer points of being second in command rather than first.

Nobody except Lucas and Kristin had seemed fully content on the MEDS station but yet none were able to put their finger on what exactly was wrong down there but the quicker the UEO left the area the better. Ortiz brought up reams of data onto his monitor as Ford leaned over him. "There's some transfer orders which need dealing with and a whole load of misdirected supplies." Ford frowned at the information scanning before his eyes, "Isn't that Krieg's domain?" Miguel shrugged, unwilling to influence any of his superior's decisions. Jonathan sighed, "Never mind, I'll deal with it anyway."  
"Why don't you just call Krieg back?" The commander stifled a laugh at the idea of giving one of his least favourite crew members an easy ride while he went back to that tin can at the bottom of the ocean.  
"Oh, I think he's got his hands full. I wouldn't want to interrupt him." Ortiz noticed the sarcastic tone to his friend's voice and queried, "Why? What's going on down there?" Ford shook his head, jokingly. "Let's just say our MEDS friends have proven to be quite a...colourful crowd."

The afternoon passed like years and Bridger was hopeful that the lack of obvious activity around the station was a good sign that the crew could get back to seaQuest that evening. If everything had gone according to plan and all the teams had carried out thorough examinations of their allocated areas, it still shouldn't take them more than a day to give the all clear. The captain had bumped into Krieg along a corridor a couple of hours ago and the lieutenant had given him nothing to worry about, but it was feedback from the science team and Chief Crocker which concerned Bridger the most. If there was anything which would force him to stay longer, it would be a matter of security or Noyce's suspicions that the research carried out down here was a little suspect in the realms of safety.

Nathan waited patiently until he heard footsteps in the corridors outside his room and a moment later there was a knock at the door. Slowly, the seaQuest crew trickled in, all looking rather the worse for wear after their day. Clearly, no one had enjoyed the same success as Kristin and Lucas in the region of interest. Everything about the MEDS station reeked of boring - its colour, dimensions, inhabitants. The last of the group filed in and sat down and Nathan surveyed his people with varying degrees of sympathy. As usual, conspicuous in his absence, Lucas was nowhere to be seen. The captain's instincts immediately forced him to home in on his wayward lieutenant, Krieg. "Where's Lucas?" The man shrugged, "Beats me, sir. Last I saw, he was sitting behind some computer up on level two." Nathan had vainly hoped that the lack of enthusiasm the boy had shown back on the submarine would be reflected in his punctuality so they could get back home quicker. Once again, he was mistaken. "He knew we were regrouping at four."  
Ben ventured, "Do you want me to go look for him, sir?"  
"No, no." Bridger quickly replied. The last thing they needed was another crew member gone AWOL. No doubt the pair would get themselves into some kind of trouble between one room and another and its inevitable results were not worth contemplating. Fortunately, they were saved the wait by the boy's arrival a few minutes later. He didn't seem breathless but there was an unusual flush of colour in his cheeks and a content smile on his face. "Sorry I'm late, captain." Without thinking to explain himself further, Lucas sat down beside Commander Hitchcock and settled back in his chair.  
Bridger casually inquired, "That's it? No explanation. What took you so long?" Lucas looked around the table with wide eyes, only just cottoning on to the general looks of disapproval he was getting from the rest of the crew, except Ben who was scrutinising him closely with an altogether different expression. It was that which was the most disconcerting of all because its implications were that Krieg had seen him with Cleo and was already forming sweet little pictures of youthful romance which he could tease Lucas with for months to come. Clearing his throat warily, Lucas ventured, "I, I was just delayed with a computer programming hitch. I didn't want to leave it or I'd have to start all over again." That seemed to satisfy Bridger and the rest of the staff but Ben's smile continued to home in on him and Lucas pretended to be engrossed in the conversations which went around the table while carefully avoiding all eye contact with the lieutenant.

"Commander Hitchcock, did you find anything out of the ordinary?" The brunette shook her head firmly, "No, sir. The station itself is sturdy and well-maintained, their transport equipment is well above the required UEO standards." Katie passed a sheet of paper to her captain, detailing her finds in greater depth which Nathan perused for a few minutes.

Ben turned his attention away from Lucas, his mind already switched to the woman who had formerly been Mrs. Krieg. She was perfect in so many ways, not all of them perfections he liked very much, like the report. It was just so typical of her to have everything laid out in little charts with keys and all kinds of odd terminology to impress the captain. That had been the problem with Katie; she had always been top of the class at the academy with him and Krieg had loved that part of it, the idea of two of the UEO's finest brains in partnership. Yet, unlike her, Ben was only prepared to go the distance when he had to and once he found a place on the best sub in the ocean, there was no need to prove himself anymore. His job was done and all he had to do was stay out of trouble long enough to keep it for a while. He knew it wasn't the most admirable or rewarding way to live his life in service but it certainly beat sucking up to the captain with extra credit work. Krieg could feel his innards snarling at the goody-two-shoes manner in which his ex-wife planned her every move. God, he hated her! But then she did have great legs and eyes to die for, liquid blue and so piercing...  
"Lieutenant Krieg?"  
"Hmmm?" Drawn from his reverie, Ben was met with the questioning gaze of Bridger and the superior look of faint amusement on Hitchcock's face. "Oh, right, I found...um, nothing, actually, sir."  
"You don't seem very certain about that, Lieutenant."  
"No, I am. You know these people, all talk. Their supply demands don't seem to be extortionate. Nothing remotely suspicious."  
"What about the supplies themselves? Is there anything we should be looking into?" Krieg looked blankly at his captain. "Like what exactly? If you mean nuclear warheads, then the answer's no. Everything's up to scratch in this department."  
Nathan nodded, "Fine. Good." He continued round the table, running through Crocker, "What about security measures?"  
"As far as I can tell, captain, the drilling into the rock was minimal. It is certainly no cause for concern." Lucas sat up straighter in his chair. So they'd seen the mine, too? They knew already. His heart lurched in his chest. That would absolve Cleo of any responsibility for breach of contract. Lucas' anticipation was short-lived when Dr. Westphalen noted, "Yes, I was given a tour of where the rock samples have been taken from but such minuscule slices would be of no consequence in relation to plate tectonics." If the doctor had seen the same place as him, her response would be quite different. For a start, there was an ample hole in the cliff face not a minuscule slice. No, this was someone else's masquerade and they were back to square. No, make that about minus ten. Not only was he now withholding information but he knew someone else was up to no good, duping his friends and colleagues. Bridger nodded in relief. Nobody had found anything remotely suspicious, much to their mutual relief. The last thing any of them wanted was to prolong their stay here when there was nothing else to do. It made Bridger feel a little less bigoted when he recognised his emotions reflected in the other crew members, simply because carrying out such duties were requirements of his job and yet he always balked at the mention on debates between scientists. They were often the most ugly and underhand wars one could get involved with and invariably created the maximum disaster factor.

"Lucas, I'm assuming everything was running smoothly at your end." Lucas suddenly found his mouth like a desert and he swallowed dryly in an effort to moisten his parched throat. His heart was pounding nineteen to the dozen and he could feel the heat rising to his face and sending flushes through his whole body, prickling down his spine. "Um, yeah, nothing special," he stammered. His blue eyes scanned the table rapidly as if expecting to be met by accusing glares but no one seemed to be paying any attention. Bridger droned on for another ten minutes or so, discussing the format of the report they would send out to Noyce and when they would return to seaQuest. Each word was like slow torture to Lucas who knew that with one utterance from him about what Cleo had shown him, they could end up investing in a summer house here. Finally, the captain finished and everyone trooped out to find their allotted rooms for the night. Heading out to join them, Lucas found himself caught by the arm and looked up to see Krieg's face grinning down at him. "Hey, Lucas, need to borrow some..." he nudged the boy, conspiratorially, but Lucas refused to indulge him, "...you know, cologne or anything." He placed deliberate emphasis on the 'anything' part and the teenager felt his cheeks grow hot with colour. God, he could happily murder his so-called friend right now, especially since Ben had failed to notice Bridger's curious gaze cast in the pair's direction. Lucas ran one nervous hand through his blonde hair and quietly shook his head, "No, thanks, Ben. I'm just fine." Somehow he must have mustered up a suitably irritated expression because Krieg just shrugged and wandered towards his room with none of the usual pushing and annoying innuendoes he would normally adopt to rile the boy.  
"Lucas, hold up a minute."  
Nathan's voice stopped him short of the doorway and Lucas turned to face his captain, trying his hardest to look like there was nothing wrong. "What was that all about?" If it had been anyone else, the teenager would give the offending quiz master a sharp glare and his 'mind your own business' spiel, but that was never very easy when it came to Bridger. The man had provided him with so much support, both officially and as a surrogate father figure, that Lucas could never lie to him, never even hold something back from him. "Um, nothing...exactly." Nathan's stare did not waver as he waited for further elaboration. "Sounds intriguing." Lucas felt his resolve to keep Cleo's secret crumble with close examination from those brown eyes. "Okay, okay. Cleo's here on the station."  
Nathan pulled back a step, his mind weighing up the pros and cons of her presence, before patting the boy lightly on the arm. "That's great. What's she doing?"  
"Oh, just support work, you know."  
"So, you two have been spending some time together?"  
Lucas could see where this was leading and he nodded curtly, "Yeah, but don't worry, I'm still getting the work done."  
"Okay, that's all I wanted to know." Lucas paused for a moment, wondering whether he should say something about Cleo coming aboard the seaQuest for a while. He was almost out of the door again when he plucked up the courage. "Captain?"  
"Yes."  
"What would you say if I asked for Cleo to come with us for a while?"  
"On seaQuest?"  
"Yeah." Lucas waited with bated breath for the reply, watching the captain struggle with the idea of having too highly charged teenagers racing around his boat. "I don't know what her superiors would think of that." Lucas' heart rose at the response; this meant he was actually considering it.  
"What if she cleared it with them?"  
"I don't know, Lucas. The seaQuest isn't a ferry, you know. It's a military vessel, not a taxi service for your friends." Lucas nodded solemnly, slowly resigning himself to the knowledge that Bridger was going to refuse. Despite his desperate desire to take Cleo with them, he could also see the captain's point and a lot of the boat's equipment and projects were supposed to be kept firmly under wraps. Cleo's position working on the MEDS station was, in itself, a reason not to let her on board in an unofficial capacity.

Nathan saw the boy's face fall as the words left his mouth and there was a large part of him which wished he could say 'yes', but the risks were too great. Seeing Lucas excited about spending time with people his own age suddenly brought it home how lonely the teenager must get on the sub. Perhaps his fascination with computers came as much from enforced solitude as it did for love of the technology itself. Who knew how many deep-rooted psychological problems lay hidden beneath traits and characteristics which everyone had taken to be inherent in Lucas? Yet, despite the pang of guilt Bridger felt for refusing the boy's request, he could hear his voice continue to drone on, boring even himself with the lengthy lecture on UEO security clearance and ethics.

Lucas stood silent for most of it, his brow slowly knitting into a half frown. Whether it was from anger or resignation, Nathan couldn't be sure, but suddenly Lucas pulled his hands out of his trouser pockets and snapped, "You know what, never mind! It was a stupid idea." He strode towards the door, his knuckles whitening as he pulled the door back ready to slam it with all his might, but Nathan called, "Hey, wait a minute!" Lucas angrily released the door and whirled on his captain.  
"Spare me the lecture, all right! The answer's 'no'. I get it." Nathan suddenly found himself pausing; what had he intended to say anyway? Lucas was right, it wasn't like he was going to turn around and change his mind after cataloguing the cons of the trip so thoroughly.

Lucas had not moved from his spot in front of the door and was eyeing the captain with an odd balance of brooding hatred but also the lingering hope that Nathan might change his mind once more. Weakly admitting defeat, Bridger said, "Lucas, if things were different..." He stopped, suddenly lost for the appropriate words. Lucas was in no mood for helping him out and simply stood, staring vacantly at the floor. Finally, he asked, "Can I go now?"  
Bridger sighed, "Yes, you can go." Barely were the words out before the boy had disappeared into the corridor. He sat down heavily on the edge of the table. As captain of the seaQuest, the most renowned and coveted man-made machine in the water, Nathan had little cause to backtrack over his decisions and amend them. That was one of the principal reasons for luring him back to the UEO. He rarely made a wrong decision and was considered a formidable opponent in every capacity. Yet, he never failed to be amazed at how the emotions of one genius teenager could disrupt everything he stood for. With one look or one word, Lucas reminded Nathan that he was only human, fallible and capable of making the wrong decisions on a daily basis.

Every aspect of naval life was black or white; there were no grey areas to be negotiated or loop holes to be considered and if there were, they were oversights which could be easily corrected by procedure. It was true that Nathan stood undefeated when it came to his track record but that was just the result of many years spent following the procedures he now devised for those below him. It was nothing more than following instructions to the best of his ability, mustering up both diplomacy and good management to get him and his crew by. There was no such handbook for dealing with teenagers and Lucas was often like a spanner thrown into the works of an otherwise smoothly run machine, well oiled and uncomplicated. One instant spent with that boy brought all the complexities of real life flooding back in bright Technicolor.

It was in the middle of this mental rambling that there was a knock at the door. "Come in." Kristin Westphalen's face appeared tentatively round the frame. "Kristin, what can I do for you?" Crossing over to him, she stood beside Nathan and smiled into his worried face. "Actually, I was wondering what I could do for you." He looked at her, puzzled, for a moment. "Lucas just passed me in the hall looking like a thunder cloud. I deduced that he had been with you, so..." Nathan sighed and Kristin sank down beside him on the table edge. "He wants Cleo to come back with us."  
"Cleo's here?!" Nathan nodded then rubbed one tanned hand over his chin, noticing the stubble already growing there as if manifesting itself as proof of his haggard state. "But you know I can't!" It was not a statement but more of a query to see Kristin's reaction. Nathan knew he could always rely on her to give it to him straight, no matter how unwelcome the answer might be. "Well, she has been on seaQuest before."  
"Yes, but that was a rescue mission. We had no choice."  
"And so is this, of a sort."  
Nathan shook his head, fervently. "No, this is a scientist being allowed on board a military vessel for a ride to the surface." His eyes widened with vehemence as he stared at the doctor, willing her to agree with him, but she simply smiled. "Oh, come on, Nathan! She is hardly a scientist at her age!" Bridger wagged his finger in her face, accusingly. "That's not the issue here and you know it. It is the principle..." He stopped, suddenly aware of how quickly his voice had soared to unnecessary volumes. Kristin watched him with faint amusement, then crossed her arms. "You're right, though."  
"Thank you."  
"That isn't the issue here at all." Nathan paused, certain that he wasn't going to like where this conversation was headed. "This has nothing to do with UEO rules. It's to do with your feelings about Lucas." Nathan didn't know quite how to react to that statement. Kristin always prided herself on being frank and today was no exception and, once again, he was dumbfounded. "What do you mean?" Kristin laughed, dryly. It never ceased to amaze her how out of touch most men were with their feelings. It seemed impossible that they could engineer all kinds of problems for themselves and yet fail to see the cause of it right under their noses. "Oh, Nathan! I think that if you search yourself a tad harder, you'll see that this is about you refusing to let a son go." She paused and waited for the revelation to sink in, but Nathan still said nothing so she continued, "You're afraid that if you allow Cleo on board seaQuest, she won't be the only one leaving when you dock." Realizing the impact all this was having on the captain, Kristin put one hand out to rub his shoulder reassuringly before stepping from the room. He needed some time to digest all of this because its repercussions might genuinely result in Lucas leaving seaQuest for good.

Lucas stormed through the hallways, ignorant of the strange stares sent in his direction. He was angry and he had every right to show it; besides, it would do everyone some good to know that they should stay away from him...everyone except Cleo anyway. Right now, all he wanted to do was either punch something, anything, or be with her and hold her, kiss her. God, was this some kind of sexual frustration finally released after being pent up ever since he joined seaQuest? It was kind of frightening how desperate he had become to be close to her now when he had never needed anyone before.  
Right now though, he didn't know how he felt. It was like he was being torn apart from the inside by hatred and love, each one refusing to allow the other any kind of satisfaction.

He neared Cleo's room and he could hear the faint, tinny tone of someone listening to music within. He could already imagine what he would find there, a girl half afraid of what she had to go back to above the sea but her eyes shining with vague excitement at seeing him. They were both as bad as each other, incapable of feeling one emotion for longer than a second before a wave of guilt or depression drew them back under. Lucas smiled wryly at this, then a new tide of emotion caught him and he passed her door without looking back, suddenly feeling an urge to be alone for a while. Guilt was the name of his pain today, guilt for getting angry with Bridger when he had been hiding the mining area from him, letting everyone think they could return to seaQuest. How could he live with the burden of that knowledge if the whole centre collapsed tomorrow because he withheld information? Would he be able to live with the burden when Cleo died under its folding structure? It was a question which didn't need an answer.

Turning at the end of the dim corridor, Lucas felt his heart sink. To rub salt in his wounds, he was confronted with the door leading to the mining area and it only served to remind him of the consequences of his actions. What had he been thinking? He had always laughed at the impact women had on some of his fellow crew members - dictating whether they drink or don't, go to bed at ten or midnight. Now, he had infinitely greater problems caused by exactly the same predicament of trying to protect and please a girl. It was ridiculous. Lucas ran one hand through his hair as he always did when he was nervous and turned on his heel, with every intention of returning to Bridger's quarters and telling him everything.

Oh, yes, he had every intention of going back there, tell the captain everything. It wasn't a dangerous lie yet, but it would be if he left it unattended any longer. It was for this reason that Lucas was sitting on Cleo's bed listening to music and doing anything which would keep his attention off speaking to Bridger. He had knocked repeatedly but when there was no answer, Lucas had decided it was best to just go in regardless. He was worried that Cleo was upset or angry and was choosing to ignore him, but she was nowhere to be seen. Wherever she had gone, it hadn't been for long because the bed was still a little warm from where she had been lying and the CD was only half way through its track listing. Lucas found some comfort in the dulcet tones emanating from the hi-fi, it was a small sanctuary from the incessant whirring of the power and air generators above their heads which only reminded him of where he was and what he should be doing.

He knew it was wrong to pry and poke around Cleo's private things, but Lucas couldn't help noticing a framed picture carefully balanced in a niche between the bed head and the light above it. Slowly, he retrieved it from its lodging and stared at the happy faces captured there. It was clearly taken not long after Cleo and the others had been transported to Pearl Harbour and as he leaned closer in, Lucas noticed that she was still wearing the clothes provided for her by seaQuest. The somewhat tattered edges of the photo and a bend in the corner was evidence enough that the picture held a great deal of meaning to Cleo. There were no other pictures in the room at all but everything about Cleo's room pointed to the fact that she was the kind of girl who would have big photo collages all over the place if she had the chance. It was sad to think that she had spent so much time without the opportunity to use a camera, to freeze a special moment in her life. Not only that, she had then removed herself to a place far below the surface of the water with no friends or family, a self-imposed isolation chamber. Perhaps unconsciously, Cleo had cut herself off from everything which had the power to heal the wounds which being stranded on the depot had caused. Lucas casually ran one thumb over the girl's face smiling back at him, a smile which gave such a convincing masquerade of happiness. The very fact that she was back on a sub-station confirmed that she must have been feeling nothing less than utter fear and panic at the prospect of returning to the upper world.

"Lucas!" He jumped up as if he had been bitten by a tiger, almost dropping the picture in surprise. Cleo stood in the doorway, looking diminished, even smaller than usual as if the worry of what he might tell Bridger had truly taken its toll. She entered and closed the door behind her, shutting it with deliberate care as if the act gave them both a chance to collect themselves. "I didn't expect to see you again...I mean, today." Lucas swallowed, a small muscle jumping almost discernibly in his jaw and he placed the photo frame on the table. "I'm sorry, I can go."  
"No, you don't have to. I just..." Cleo's eyes searched his face but Lucas didn't know what he should say to her. What could he say? They were no better off than they were before and it was his fault. Eventually, the silence was broken and she asked, "What did you tell him?" Her voice was so quiet that, if Lucas hadn't already known exactly what she was going to ask, he would have had to ask her to repeat the question again. "Nothing." The relief which crossed her face was the most painful thing Lucas had ever seen, knowing that he alone was responsible for it. "I couldn't." Cleo crossed over to him and flung her arms around his neck, drawing him close to her. "Thank you, Lucas." Lucas hesitated before letting his hands respond and squeeze her back. He was uncertain how much damage he would do if he told her that he had also spoken to Bridger about taking Cleo with them back to seaQuest. Instead, he lost himself in the light, fruity scent of her hair and the feel of her even breathing against his neck.

Ben Krieg burst open the cabin door with unnecessary ferocity and, in one angry movement, threw himself onto the bottom bunk, prompting Katie Hitchcock to look up from the manual she had been leafing through. Her mouth gaped open and closed a few times before propping herself up on one arm from the top bunk, staring at the open door as if willing it to magically close by itself. She could already hear Ben muttering something unintelligible but it didn't take a genius, or an ex-wife, to figure that the words weren't pretty. Jumping down from the bunk and slamming the door closed, Katie turned, hands on hips, to confront her ex.  
"Lost your way, lieutenant?"  
Ben ignored the icy stare and instead responded with an unrepeatable expletive. "Ben? We're not married anymore! You can't just waltz into my private rooms without knocking anymore." He flapped one hand in her direction as if to silence her or wave away the issue, neither of which made Hitchcock very happy. "I mean it, Ben. Get out... NOW!" At first the anger did not register at all until Krieg slowly swung his legs off the bunk and sat up poker straight, eyeing her with a mixture of humble submission and intimacy.  
"Hey, Katie, I'm sorry. I guess I just forgot." For some inexplicable reason, the woman found herself relenting as she lowered her crossed arms and gently smoothed her hair in a calming movement. "Just don't do it again." Ben knew her well enough to see when he had weathered the worst of the storm and could safely return to his own predicament. "Sheesh, there's some serious cabin fever going down in this place. You noticed that?"  
"What do you mean?" Krieg opened his mouth to begin his rant but paused before patting the space beside him. At first, Hitchcock made no move to join him, determined to defy him in her own room. She'd sit wherever she wanted. Inwardly, she scolded herself for being so ridiculous. This was not some big feminist issue; it was nothing more than playing audience or doctor to Ben Krieg's numerous issues. Besides, he could do with as much help as he could get, so she obliged.  
"I just got back from speaking to our illustrious Dr. Wagner to get a few basic details from their stock status reports and he practically bit my throat out." Katie was justifiably suspicious. It was true that many people had adverse reactions to Krieg but they were usually founded on fairly water-tight grounds. "What exactly did you say?"  
He gave her a sullen look, "Well, I didn't make fun of his hair or his station if that's what you're thinking."  
"Hey, I was only asking." Ben got up from the bed and began pacing, his body tense with pent-up anger and adrenaline. "He was just rude, uncooperative and sneaky! I hate people like that." Katie stifled a smile at this last comment; clearly he hadn't taken a look in any mirrors recently...although the exact opposite had proven to be a problem during their brief marriage. "It was like he was on something, maybe they're testing drugs here or..."  
Katie halted him, "Oh, come on, Ben! Don't be ridiculous. They're just scientists, researchers, everyone knows what they're like. They don't like anyone messing with their stuff, getting some scoop before they're done with it. They've become the new conspiracy theorists, suspicious of anyone outside of the clan. It's just the way they are."  
Ben was shaking his head, emphatically. "No, it's more. They need to be quarantined! They're rabid!" Katie laughed, "Yeah and it looks contagious." Krieg shot an angry glare in her direction before submitting. His anger was spent and, in retrospect, even he had to admit that the incident seemed somewhat amusing. "Fine, fine, okay. I'll let them live another day in their pathetic, two-dimensional existence, but if they pull anymore tricks..."  
"Yeah, yeah, you'll get them for it."

Kristin had been so absorbed in the amazing discoveries she had found in the research labs, she had not even noticed the rapidly passing time. Then she was aware of the bitter sweet smell of coffee lingering under her nose followed by a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We were starting to wonder whether you were ever coming up for air, so..." The hand gestured to the coffee and Kristin looked up to see Dr. Wagner's smiling face. "Pretty impressive, huh?" She stood up stiffly and eyed the cup with distaste.  
"Oh, I've had coffee on plenty of occasions."  
He laughed, "No, I meant the lab." She nodded, trying to hide the enthusiastic gleam in her eye. It would do no good to show him how excited she had been when the UEO group had arrived here and Dr. Wagner had smug self-satisfaction written all over his face. "The team have noticed how quickly you have made yourself at home here." Kristin opened her mouth to speak but he quickly continued, "Oh, don't get me wrong, I think it's great. Besides, you're looking at some of the most advanced sub-oceanic technology in the northern hemisphere and you probably won't see as much as this in one place again for quite some time." He smiled at her as if he had just offered up the most flattering compliment and the doctor could barely believe her ears. She stared at him dumbly, in disbelief that someone could be so arrogant without betraying the slightest tremor of self-consciousness. This man was a good ten years younger than her and she was already embarking on her marine biology career when he was still in junior high school. Yet, here he was, flashing his equipment at her like a teenager showing off his newly acquired car and then expecting her to be impressed. Part of her wanted to laugh at the preposterous image he presented but, unfortunately, irritation was the only emotion mounting with steadily growing ferocity.  
"Well, thank you, Dr.Wagner. I'm very grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Discovering the biological secrets of Mars will pale in comparison, I'm sure." Her tone was hardly cutting but the words were blunt and Kristin felt a glow of satisfaction as she watched him recoil slightly with their bitterness.  
"I simply meant..."  
"I know what you meant." Kristin cut in, briskly, then thought better of making an enemy out of the chief oceanographer here. She would be doing neither herself or the seaQuest crew any favours if she got on the wrong side of the MEDS scientists at this point. They were hardly grateful for the UEO's presence as it was without rubbing salt in their wounds. She had brought him down a peg or two and that was all she needed to achieve. "However, I have been quite intrigued by your geosphere equipment." Wagner shot her a sceptical but quizzical look as if he were unsure if this were some further joke at his expense. Noting the genuine expression of interest reflected in Westphalen's face, he followed her gaze to the instrument. Moving towards it, Kristin was relieved when he began on a boring spiel concerning its construction and operation. Pushing levers and buttons here and there, he explained the hydraulics in painfully dull and tedious detail while the good doctor donned a convincing mask of utter pleasure and rapture. "Captain Bridger says you have collected some interesting specimens on your travels, especially at Inuvik. If you would like some help, I would be more than happy to..."  
"Thank you but no." Kristin said instantly. The possessive I found it first attitude, an unbecoming trait in so many scientists, was rearing its ugly head. She had spent many years cultivating a reputation as a force to be reckoned with when it came to her field, hence the reason she had secured a place on seaQuest. No amount of glad handing or peacocking in front of her was going to make her budge enough to show Wagner her samples. It wasn't that Kristin disliked him exactly, although he was smug and arrogant, but she simply wanted to keep her finds to herself until she had assessed everything and drawn her own conclusions. It was like doing a jigsaw, spending half an hour turning all the unassembled pieces the right side up and sorting out the edges only for someone to come along and finish the middle bit in a mocking gesture of help. "As I'm sure you appreciate, I have been cooped up on a submarine for some time and would like to enjoy this short sojourn on your post in as constructive a way as possible...without interruption."  
Wagner shrugged, "Well, that's your choice, but you may appreciate a second pair of hands."  
"Perhaps at a later time." Kristin turned away from him, hoping he would take the hint and leave her alone. True, it was she who was the intruder here, but her understanding of chivalry allowed her the privileged position of always being right when it came to what a man should be doing. He should be leaving, having graciously given her the cup of coffee. She shook her head, Some men just don't know when they've reached water log. Lost in her own thoughts, Kristin failed to notice the grim expression on Dr. Wagner's face as he sidled back towards the door, his eyes darting around the lab as if seeking out anything pertaining to her research there. It was like a university student trying to steal an opponent's college mascot, petty yet somehow requiring the stealth and cunning of a practised MI5 employee.

Lucas and Cleo were lying together on her narrow bed, clinging to each other out of a mixture of affection and an attempt to keep from falling onto the floor. They had spent the evening talking about everything, from favourite foods to the meaning of life and Lucas had never felt so happy. His time on seaQuest and the enforced isolation of being a kid genius at Stanford, the constant feeling that he should be living up to someone else's expectations of who he was, fell away. It had been so long, or perhaps he had simply never felt this before, but Lucas suddenly sensed a weight being lifted away and the look on Cleo's face assured him that she felt the same way. In a spontaneous gesture of love, he squeezed her closer to him and kissed the top of her head.  
She tilted her chin towards him and offered him a Cheshire grin of contentment, "I wish we could stay like this, that you didn't have to go." Lucas didn't reply. He didn't want to think about returning to seaQuest right now and he didn't want to let his mind build the all too vivid image of the consequences which would inevitably result from not telling Captain Bridger about the tourmaline mine. Cleo levered herself up on her elbow and looked down at him, pensively taking in the intense blue eyes frowning at an empty space above his head.  
"What is it?"  
Lucas struggled to suppress the negative thoughts racing through his guilty brain and forced a half smile to his lips. "Nothing...just thinking." He hated the way his time with Cleo was so evenly divided between unadulterated pleasure and the tense, unhappiness of being unable to say what was most important to them. Cleo understood so much about him, when only a week ago he would have denied it possible that anyone knew how he felt. How, then, did it turn out that she couldn't fathom what was wrong with him right now? She mirrored Lucas in so many ways but it was slowly dawning on him that their responsibilities were still very different. He had a duty to tell Bridger what he had seen, it was his job to do so. It was as important to him that he be truthful as it was for Cleo to save her job on the MEDS station. All his life, Lucas had been placed on a pedestal like a human freak show, to be looked at and judged. He could just as easily have been hideously deformed, his body ravaged with some rare debilitating disease or be the most stupid person in the universe. It wasn't his talent which people turned to him for or asked for his name on a project, it was the fact that he was only fifteen or sixteen or seventeen. Yet, no matter which problem he dealt with next or how widely his vocorder experiment was known, Lucas never felt like he was doing it for himself. He was simply going through the motions which everyone expected of him, fulfilling a role which had been instilled in him since he was old enough to walk. Now, he had got something for him alone - Cleo, but, as usual, he wasn't allowed to have it. Being a normal teenager was never part of the game plan in the life of Lucas Daniel Wolenczak. God, he couldn't lie here a moment longer when Bridger and the crew were planning on leaving the next morning. He had been asked to do one thing on behalf of the UEO while they were here, to check the systems for anything untoward. Lucas had done just that and in the space of a few hours he had made the decision to put Cleo before the rest of the crew.

He turned to Cleo and ran one hand through her hair and traced down the tender curve of her neck. "Cleo..." She reached for his hand, resting hers over it and smiled. Lucas felt something churning in his stomach at the prospect of how her face would change and darken with the next words he said. Bracing himself and taking a deep breath, he continued, "...I can't do this. I have to tell Captain Bridger about the mine." Cleo's eyes widened momentarily and her face blanched, before she quickly looked away from him. Lucas said nothing, allowing the words to sink in. She took her hand away from his and nodded slowly. "I thought you might."  
He sat up on the bed, "You know I don't want to do this any more than you do, but this goes way beyond what we want. If I don't tell him, I'm putting lives at risk - the lives of everyone living at the surface, jeopardizing the UEO's position...and I can't do that. I won't." Cleo still said nothing but nodded again. "Cleo, look at me." Lucas cupped her chin tenderly, forcing her eyes to engage with his. The expression on her face was heartbreaking. He knew that he was taking her life in his hands and crushing it, choosing a faceless government department over a person he claimed to love. It was the same as if someone had told him that he had to leave to seaQuest and then make a place for himself in the world all by himself. Self loathing crept across Lucas' heart; once again the actor was called upon to play his role and stamp out the real Lucas and the things he held dear. This was the chief computer analyst talking, not the teenager who, in the few short hours he had spent with Cleo, had finally begun to feel like a teenager should and discover new things about himself. Or was it? Cleo wasn't the only person here whom he cared about, there was Ben and Katie, O'Neill, Westphalen and, most importantly, Nathan Bridger. He had been more of a father to Lucas than Lawrence Wolenczak could ever lay claim to and the impact of the boy's lies on him would be almost intolerable to witness. "Cleo, this is the only way...but I promise you this. If he won't take you with us then I'll leave seaQuest. We'll face the world up there together, you and me. What do you say?"  
Cleo smiled weakly, "I can't ask you to do that, Lucas. seaQuest is your home."  
"I don't care! I got you into this mess and I'll get you out. I'm not abandoning you. Besides," Lucas stood up and began pacing the room. Now that he finally voiced his concerns, all the good reasons for telling Bridger and then resigning from the UEO seemed to tumble out so easily. He cared so much for Cleo that somehow the prospect didn't feel like a sacrifice at all but the most natural course for him to take. "I want to be with you and being stuck on a submarine isn't exactly the easiest place to carry on a relationship." Cleo laughed and he could see her face brightening with the realisation that they could actually do this - together. "But Lucas, you know what they'll say, that we're too young to know what we really want, that it's just teenage romance..."  
"I don't care! We have every right to find that out for ourselves, don't we?" Cleo stared at him for a moment, her eyes sparkling with renewed joy. Sitting up smartly on the edge of the bed as if preparing for a military inspection, she nodded decisively. "You're right. Let's do it. Let's tell your captain now." Grabbing her hand, Lucas led the way out of Cleo's room and down the hall to where Bridger had set up his temporary quarters.

Nathan had been bored out of his wits sitting in an empty room devoid of all his belongings and, having contacted seaQuest once for a general update, he was loath to do it again. It would only make him seem desperate and either raise suspicions or place him as the butt of everyone's jokes for the rest of the evening, both of which he could do without. He had read through the ridiculously simple blue prints which Dr. Wagner had left with him; they barely required an undergraduate engineering student to tell him whether the project was feasible. Apart from the terrible handwriting scrawled all over the place and rather dubious terminology which Bridger had begun to correct before realizing how mammoth the task was, the plans were sound and he intended to tell Wagner the good news on the way to the launch the following morning. Nathan could feel a smile creeping across his face just picturing the scene of the crew packing up the equipment and heading back to seaQuest, to his own quarters and his own ship where he felt truly in charge. While everyone working on the MEDS station was well aware that Bridger's UEO status placed him well above their own standing, scientists were always the toughest to handle when it came to knowing rank order. Their brains seemed to be built in with an override switch whenever military personnel became involved. They decided that all UEO officials were nothing more than slaves to a ridiculous system, following orders which might one day secure them a place at the top of the food chain to make even more ridiculous decisions about everyone else's lives and safety. This was abhorrent to a people who saw themselves as the pioneers of the planet, the ones who actually gave something useful and productive to society. Nathan hated that attitude but there was very little he could do or say which could change their minds...except for the fact that seaQuest was his own design. The least Wagner and his cohorts could do was show some respect to a man who was not only near the top of the UEO food chain but was also single-handedly responsible for mastering the largest and most advanced underseas vessel in the world.

Bridger was silently huffing away to himself when there was a knock at the door. "It's open." Kristin's face appeared around the frame and a smile broke out across her face. "Oh good, you're still up. Fancy a game of cards?"  
Nathan laughed, "Would I ever. This place is driving me nuts." He looked suspiciously up at the doctor as she sat down. "What's the matter with you? I thought you'd be having a whale of a time here with the science team. They seem to have taken to you very well."  
Kristin rolled her eyes, "Oh, I've been steering clear of them a bit and anyway," Her mouth drew into a small frown of distaste and she looked at Nathan with the steely glare of someone who would not tolerate any smart responses, "the samples I took off Inuvik didn't turn out to be what I thought." Nathan tried to stifle the smile which threatened to betray him, a mutiny of muscles just begging for a science lecture about the intricacies of algae specimens and their subtle properties. He managed to pull himself together quickly enough to inquire, "Oh, how come?"  
Kristin picked up the pack of cards and crudely cut them, shuffling with inordinate roughness. Finally, she said, "Actually it was one of our illustrious MEDS team which picked it up. Apparently they've been farming the plants for some time."  
"I see." Nathan took his share of mutilated cards and tentatively asked, "Rummy?" Kristin looked at him defiantly, "Black Jack - I'm in the mood for a bit of action." They began to play in silence and Bridger was beginning to think he should have let her win the last hand when she let out a snort of disgust. "Would you like a drink? I think there is some scotch in that cabinet over there. Whoever used this room last was a genius."  
"Make it a double. I tell you, I shall be glad to get back to seaQuest."  
Nathan laughed, "That's what I've been saying to myself ever since we got here." He relaxed when he saw a smile breaking out across Kristin's face. "You know, Nathan, if I ever start behaving like some of the people we've met down here, I give you my full permission to shoot me."  
"They are an obnoxious bunch, aren't they? I heard Krieg ranting about them earlier, too. I'd say Lucas is just about the only person actually enjoying himself on this trip." Kristin took a sip of scotch and dealt another hand of cards. "A few more hours of this and we'll be catatonic and then we'll be home before you know it."  
"I don't think a drunk captain will gain the respect of these people somehow."  
"I was talking about the cards."  
The pair had lost count of how many rounds they had played, with Kristin finding her form and winning by a long way, when there was a short, quiet knock at the door. Nathan glanced at his watch and shared a quizzical look with the doctor. Opening the door, he was surprised and a little bemused to see Lucas and Cleo, both looking decidedly shifty. "Lucas! To what do I owe this pleasure?" Lucas opened and closed his mouth a few times, then glanced back at Cleo, who was standing behind him as if trying to shield herself from the wrath of seaQuest's captain. "Uh, can I, we, talk to you?" Kristin joined Nathan at the door and Lucas' wide, blue eyes skittered in her direction. "Oh, sorry, I didn't know...I just..." Bridger opened the door wider and stood aside, "No, Kristin and I were just talking. What did you want to talk about?" Lucas stepped into the room, looking around warily as if he were expecting it to be booby trapped or something. Cleo clung to his hand, only releasing it when they sat down at the table. All eyes turned to the empty scotch glasses and cards laid out on the table and Lucas was momentarily thrown by this. Drinking and gambling on the job was certainly nothing he could ever have imagined of Captain Bridger and Lucas wasn't sure whether that made his case easier to plead or even worse. Kristin caught the querying glances and quickly put the cards back in the box before clearing away the glasses to give Bridger and Lucas some privacy.  
"What's the matter?"  
Lucas tried to form the words in his head, but somehow nothing quite seemed to capture what he wanted to say. All the words sounded too dreadful and melodramatic, as if he had hidden an atomic bomb from them or forgotten to mention that a deadly virus had been released into the atmosphere. "Uh, there's something I forgot to tell you at the meeting this afternoon." Nathan sat up straighter in his chair; this sounded like it was going to be a lot more serious than he had imagined. He had expected it to be another attempt at convincing the captain to let Cleo come with them when they left Anchorage the next day. He sat patiently, waiting out the uncomfortable silence which ensued. "When I did the routine checks, I noticed something...and..."  
Kristin returned to the table, slowly easing herself into a chair beside Nathan. The captain snapped, "Noticed what?" Lucas gaped at them both for a few seconds before Cleo stepped in and finished the sentence for him. "There is a mine here. They've just been covering it up for the past few months." Nathan looked at Kristin, who widened her eyes in a mixture of disbelief and warning. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"  
Lucas felt the colour rising in his cheeks, "I just, I...knew that Cleo would lose her job if anyone found out." He finished the sentence quietly, suddenly painfully aware of how selfish and juvenile the reasons sounded, even to him. Looking from Kristin to Cleo, Bridger asked, "Could you leave us alone? Lucas has got a lot of explaining to do." His face was stern and Lucas felt his stomach lurch; he felt so guilty for doing nothing and for withholding information from his captain, a man who had been good to him since the first day he had arrived on seaQuest.

He wasn't even sure if he was breathing as he watched Kristin and Cleo leave, his mind wrapped up in an odd haze of apprehension and uncertainty. Nathan didn't move from his seat and this made Lucas feel even more uncomfortable. It signalled that he meant business, that this was not going to be a friendly father to son chat about responsibilities which he should remember next time. The teenager knew only too well how serious all this had become, and every part of him wished that he could turn back the clock and tell his captain everything the moment it had been discovered. "Captain, I'm sorry," was all Lucas could manage, his voice already growing hoarse and dry.  
Bridger nodded, grimly. "You should be." He shook his head, solemnly, and met the anxious blue eyes looking at him from across the table, poised for reprimand. The hardest part of this conversation was knowing exactly what the motives had been behind Lucas' decision to keep all of this a secret and, no matter how trivial it might seem to a captain in the UEO, Nathan knew it meant the world to a teenager. "I want you to tell me everything, from start to finish, about what you discovered, when and why you didn't say anything."

Lucas nodded, swallowing hard. He launched into an account of everything which had happened since Cleo came on the scene, the files which he had looked into and Cleo's reaction when he had questioned her about them. He explained about the tourmaline rock and how beautiful it was, but when he reached the part about what the scientists had been doing with the mineral, Lucas paused. Bridger waited patiently, then asked, "Is that it? Such a small amount of mining is inconsequential. I'm sure Admiral Noyce wouldn't act on that." Lucas stood up, pacing backwards and forwards across the room, running one hand across his jaw. "No, there's more. Cleo told me that Wagner has been using the rock's properties to power the station. It has electrical qualities, making it like an inexhaustible light bulb." Nathan sat back in his chair, "They've found a light source which needs no fuel? My God."

Lucas allowed the information to sink in; after all, he had been equally stunned when he had discovered what this find would mean to the world population. However, he also knew that the MEDS people might have named it as a tourmaline derivative, but its other uses were nowhere near that simple. "There's more. Cleo told me that the rock had been tested on ocean bed life which thrive on it, consuming it. I don't know what the outcome of these tests were, but Wagner clearly thought they were beneficial because he went to a lot of trouble to keep this project under wraps."  
Nathan nodded. "Call Cleo back in here and I'll assemble the crew." Lucas headed for the door. "And Lucas?" The teen turned back as the captain shook a finger accusingly at him. "Don't think I'm done yet. You and I will talk about this properly later." Lucas returned a humble look and ducked outside. The deed was done and the captain knew everything, for better or worse. Now, he had to wait it out and try to salvage whatever was left of his and Cleo's life when it was all over.


	4. Out Of The Blue - Part 4

OUT OF THE BLUE (PART 4)

By Allegra

See Part One for disclaimers etc.

"Cleo." Lucas pushed the door to her room open quietly and peered inside. She was sitting at her desk, staring out through the heavily reinforced glass into the ocean depths, its dreary blackness highlighted by the station's lights which shone, weakly trying to illuminate the dangers of the sea. Her chin rested on her hands and she made no attempt to get up or turn when she heard him enter. "Cleo, the captain wants to speak to us all." Still, she did nothing, neither moving nor speaking. She didn't trust her voice to say anything but all her tears had dried up inside her long ago. Now, she only felt numb to everything going on around her. Part of her could rationalize how insignificant her leaving the MEDS station was in the grander scheme but another part of her kept replaying the scene in her head. She was being dropped off outside the UEO headquarters, her final pay cheque in her pocket, a taxi ready to take her wherever she needed to go. Yet, every time she saw herself climbing into the taxi, it was as if she disappeared. It was impossible for her to imagine anything beyond that...because there was nothing beyond that. It was void of non-sensation, of emptiness.

"Lucas..." He came over to where she was sitting and settled himself on the bed opposite her and put one hand out to her. "What is it?" He followed her gaze towards the window and realized that she hadn't been looking out to sea at all but at the distorted, half reflection of herself in the glass. "Sometimes I sit here for hours and I wonder if this is all I am. I wonder if this is all people see of me, a shadow, an unfinished person."  
Lucas rubbed her arm, reassuringly. "No, you're never that."  
"Aren't I? We were trapped on that depot for three years and nobody missed us, nobody looked for us. It was like we didn't exist...and then I went back into the world and it didn't want me, it still didn't notice me. The only place I feel safe is when I'm tucked away from everything, just an anonymous face who keeps the menial work done, labelling test tubes, clearing up experiments. I don't mean anything to anyone unless the coffee supply runs low, but you...you're the genius kid. Everyone wants you, needs your help. "  
"That's not true. You aren't worthless, Cleo. You're important to me, you're everything to me." At this, she turned to him and, at that moment, Lucas couldn't believe how much he meant every word. "You're somebody and we're going to get out there and find out together. There's so much you haven't tried, there's a whole world for the taking, for our taking. We'll go to Europe, visit Buckingham Palace, climb the Eiffel Tower, see the Great Wall of China. In a year's time, we'll look back on this place and wonder how it ever came to be such a big deal."  
Cleo smiled, "You promise?"  
"I promise." Lucas gathered her in his arms and squeezed her tight. "Come on, let's get this over with."

Back on seaQuest, everything had been running smoothly and Commander Ford was thoroughly enjoying the rare pleasure of having the boat entirely to himself. Bridger frequently handed the reins over to him when there was little else to do or to give his young companion a chance to learn for himself, but it was almost unheard of for the captain to be absent from seaQuest for longer than a day. Admittedly, this wasn't exactly a reason to be jumping for joy - there was not much to be done onboard and Bridger's lengthy silence might well be a forbidding one. However, this peaceful atmosphere gave Jonathan all the time in the world to daydream about taking the helm for himself once and for all. One day, he would command a boat, maybe not one as large and advanced as seaQuest, but a substantial one nonetheless. It fired excitement in his heart and sent it into palpitations just envisaging the looks of his subjects as he stepped onto the bridge. He only hoped that he might receive the same respect and praise which Nathan Bridger had garnered over his long and illustrious career.

He was in the middle of receiving a commendation for saving the world from sudden disaster when Ford was pulled roughly from his reverie by O'Neill's ever-anxious voice. "Commander, we've got an incoming call from a shuttle on course from Anchorage, requesting to board." Ford glanced over at his companion's monitor and barked, "Put it on forward screens."  
"Aye, aye, sir." A second later, a middle-aged man's face came abruptly into focus, his expression somewhat urgent as sweat beaded across his forehead. In an abrupt and faintly Scandinavian accent, he stated, "My name is Emory Olafsson, I was on my way to the MEDS station when I heard that your captain is positioned there. I have some information I think the UEO would like to hear." He paused, waiting for the gravitas of his words to sink in. "Requesting permission to board seaQuest, commander."  
"Permission granted." The link cut out and the commander instructed the docking bay to be opened. Ford felt uneasy about this and he had to admit that the crew's abnormally long sojourn on the base gave him cause for concern. Whatever this Mr. Olafsson had to say had better be worth it. "O'Neill, you'd better get Captain Bridger on-line. If this guy has anything to say for himself, I'd say he's going to want to talk to him." O'Neill nodded and began trying to get a line. A moment later, he looked up.  
"I'm not getting any signal, commander. We can't get through, only static." Ford looked at the monitor, sceptically. "Try another connection."  
"I have, sir. All lines to the station are down." Sighing, Ford paused to think. Given the situation up at Anchorage, such electrical disruptions were not cause for concern at this point, but he also knew that Bridger would want to know what was going on. "Fine. Keep trying. Maybe there's still some residual electrical disturbances from the northern lights."  
"Yes, sir." Tim turned back to his console and continued trying various connections while, with modest apprehension, Ford made his way to greet seaQuest's new visitor.

Within a few minutes, a rather dishevelled, unimposing man, looking more in his late fifties at closer inspection was standing in front of the young commander. He seemed anxious and his eyes darted around the smart interior like a cornered animal. "Mr. Olafsson..."  
"Doctor Olafsson." The man corrected. "I am one of the supervisors sent to the MEDS station." Introducing himself, Commander Ford held out his arm, gesturing to one of the corridors leading away from the docking bay. "If you'd like to step this way, I'll take us somewhere private where we can talk about this." The doctor nodded, emphatically, hurrying along the corridor like a mole returning to his underground burrow for the night. In fact, everything about the man somehow reminded Jonathan of a wild, woodland animal, even his dark brown corduroy jacket which fitted tightly around his ample belly. Once inside the security and quiet of the ward room, Ford tried to make his guest feel comfortable. As acting captain of the seaQuest, he was thoroughly enjoying the sensation of being host for a while, no matter what harbinger of news the person might be. "Can I get you anything to drink, doctor?"  
"Uh, yes, a cup of coffee would be much appreciated." Ford nodded and quickly switched on the PAL. "O'Neill, can the doctor and I have two coffees in the ward room?" There was an icy silence at the other end for a moment before O'Neill's voice came over. "Sir, that isn't really my job."  
Jonathan didn't need to be able to see the man's face to know the expression which went with that voice. He felt his face grow hot with the embarrassment of being answered back to by one of his inferiors. "Just do it," he barked and turned the PAL off before O'Neill could say anything else. Dr. Olafsson appeared to be unperturbed by this exchange, he was too busy looking around the room and taking in the various state of the art items adorning nearly every flat surface. "This certainly is an impressive boat, commander. I've heard so much about it but I never dared to hope I might one day set foot aboard."  
Ford smiled; perhaps O'Neill hadn't ruined his chances to show off after all. "Yes, she is."  
"It must be quite a handful to deal with alone."  
The doctor turned quizzical eyes on the commander, who wasn't exactly sure how he should respond. He wouldn't want to belittle Bridger's job nor declare himself capable of dealing adeptly with the seaQuest in times of trouble. However, right now, he was having the time of his life and he felt fully in control...except for the small matter of where room service came from. Why had he never figured that out before? "I do my best." The doctor paused as if digesting all the information before abruptly producing the old-fashioned leather briefcase he had been carrying around with him. He slung it onto the table top with a thud and fiddled with the awkward fastenings. "Well, to business!"  
With that simple gesture, Ford was already starting to feel inadequate again. His claim to superiority was short-lived and the general manner of Dr. Olafsson reminded him that he had been left more or less in the dark on this case. Bridger himself had been provided with only sketchy details as to the purpose of this mission and the commander had been unable to contact the MEDS station.  
"You said you had some information we might need."  
The doctor nodded, rummaging around in his case for some sheets of paper. Producing a few official documents which proved his legitimacy, he cast them across the table to Ford. "As you can see from my credentials and dossier, I have been overseeing a particular project on the MEDS outpost for quite some time." Jonathan scanned the pages quickly but he had learned from experience that the men who handed over this kind of information without having to be asked usually had no need to prove themselves. "So why did you come to us and not to the MEDS station straight away? Why give us information concerning a project you are directly involved with?" The doctor sat back in his chair and pushed the small spectacles he wore further up his nose.  
"Well, after we launched from Anchorage, our communications scrambled every time we tried to make contact with the base. When I realized that seaQuest was in the water, I assumed you must have something to do with it. I put two and two together and came up with four. If I am not mistaken, Commander Ford, you have been sent here to investigate the root of the disputes between the MEDS team and the NOSO people based at Anchorage. I thought you must have isolated communications with the base as a containment security precaution. Now, I would be the first to admit that I fully endorsed this project when it first began, but more recently, I have had cause for concern but there was no one in a position to receive my complaints. Since the UEO is here and already suspicious, I decided to take the opportunity to voice my fears." Olafsson ended his speech in a torrent of words but Ford absorbed every word. "I see. What exactly is the project underway?"

The doctor was about to reply when there was a knock at the door and a second later O'Neill entered with a tray of coffee and rather cheap looking biscuits. He cast a sour glance in his superior's direction and the sarcasm was dripping from his lips as he said, "Your coffee, sir. I hope everything is to your satisfaction." Once again, Olafsson seemed oblivious to the tension in the room and he reached greedily for the tray and began pouring himself a cup with one hand while stuffing a biscuit into his mouth with the other.  
Ford caught Tim's arm as he headed to the door and muttered under his breath, "Why didn't you send someone from the mess canteen?"  
Tim's eyes were icy. "I didn't know who to ask and no one would come. Next time, you can get it yourself." Ignoring the disapproving look from Jonathan, Tim barely restrained his hand from slamming the door. He may be Ford's inferior, but they both knew that it was not the communications officer's job to play waiter to anyone, not even acting captain.

Ford turned back to his guest. "I'm sorry about that." Olafsson looked up in half surprise, his mouth full of half chewed biscuit and crumbs circling his mouth. "You were about to tell me about the MEDS project." The doctor waved his hands in the air ahead of him, trying to chew and swallow his mouthful as quickly as his body would allow. Finally, he wiped absently at the last few crumbs, took a sip of coffee, and began. "Ah, yes. Well, it began as an experiment on the seabed. My colleague, Dr. Eric Wagner used samples of a tourmaline derivative, calling it polychromatite, which he processed and injected into the porous rock of the sea bed. The rocks there began to have beneficial properties for the sea life, improving the ecosystem." Olafsson waited, watching Ford to make sure he had taken in and understood everything. The commander was mildly impressed by this manipulation and vivification of totally inanimate rock, but he didn't think it was really cause for such secrecy.  
"I assume something went wrong," was all he could manage to sum up his feelings.  
Olafsson raised his eyebrows in a gesture of indifference. "Well, Wagner and I consulted for quite some time which direction the project should take next. He believed that we should push further, mutate the rock so that it could be used for better underwater farming. He had already seen how positive and productive his experiment had been already. The fish were growing bigger, the whole ecosystem became more efficient. He wanted to alter the components of his polychromatite in order to create sea life with more agility, more effective hunting skills, brighter colours, perhaps even some electrical properties like the electric eel."  
"You mean like the genetically modified foods of the late twentieth century?"  
"Exactly...and we all know the problems that caused. He didn't only want to tamper with the rock, he wanted to mess with the delicate balance of life in the ocean. I may be a scientist, Mr. Ford, but believe it or not, I am also a man of God, and there are some research programs which I cannot condone. I appreciate that some must be performed in the name of scientific progression, but I have to admit that I had suspicions that Wagner might go ahead without me. You must understand, commander, that none of these experiments have been conducted in isolated conditions. Should Dr. Wagner succeed in his endeavours, the entire ocean is at risk. Do you understand?"  
Ford nodded but Olafsson was already on a crusade. "If the predatory fish become more effective in their hunting skills, the supplies of food will quickly run low and they will move on to larger prey. Before long, the sea will be devoid of life but for the largest, most dangerous species." Ford contemplated this problem for a moment. He knew that Bridger would be thorough in his search and that Lucas or Kristin would most likely pick up on anything untoward, but he also knew that the captain had been unenthusiastic about the trip. In light of this, and without any disrespect, there was a higher possibility that something might be missed in an effort to get the mission over and done with. "I'll try to make contact with the base again then send a shuttle. I'll have someone show you to a room and I'll inform you when we leave." Dr. Olafsson nodded, gratefully as Ford shook his hand, heartily. "Thank you for coming forward, Dr. Olafsson."  
"It is for the good of all mankind, Mr. Ford."

When the pair of teenagers arrived back at Captain Bridger's quarters, the rest of the crew had assembled and he was just reaching the end of filling the group in on what Lucas had told him. Their faces were grim and the boy was tempted to backtrack and get out of there; even Ben's face was a mask of disapproval. "Ah, Lucas, Cleo. Sit down." The pair sat as far away from the rest of the crew as possible, their faces giving them the air of condemned prisoners rather than love sick teenagers.

Bridger softened his tone when he noticed how pale Cleo had become since their arrival. "Cleo, I need you to tell us everything, anything you can remember which might be of use to us. What is this rock and what has it been used for?"  
"It's some kind of tourmaline variety which Dr. Wagner experimented on. He noticed it had some electromagnetic qualities and wanted to exploit them further for industrial purposes. At first, we only noticed its effects in the sea life. He threw unsuccessful modified samples into the water where it started having a strange impact." Dr. Westphalen sat forward in her chair, putting aside the notepad she had been furiously scribbling in. "What was the reaction?" Cleo glanced at Lucas and he tried to give her an encouraging look. "Well, it began when the science team noticed variations in the plant and fish specimens collected from the water near the station. It all started not long after the mining began. The fish began to act strangely, then they grew stronger and larger, even began to take on magnetic or luminescent properties. Wagner waited a few weeks to see if there were any adverse effects before he decided to grind parts of the rock into powder for human consumption, in effect, to make us stronger and in better physical shape. At least that's what I think he did."  
Krieg had been listening quietly to all this, but he was starting to suspect the innocence of this girl. Cleo might well be in on all this, a decoy sent out to seduce Lucas and make them think she was on their side. She could be lying to them all right now and they wouldn't know it. "You don't know for sure?" Cleo almost jumped at the bark issuing from Lieutenant Krieg and shook her head. "No." Ben raised his eyebrows in surprise, prompting Lucas to say, "What are you implying, Ben? That she's lying to us?" The ferocity in his eyes was disconcerting even to the older crew member, but he wasn't going to back down on this. "Well, it just seems kind of a coincidence that she was here at all and then she comes up with this story but with a few strategic blank spots."  
Dr. Westphalen could see the fury on Lucas' face as clear as day and, while she had her reservations about this whole situation, she would stand up for the boy until someone had solid proof. "Cleo did show Lucas where the mine was in the first place."  
Krieg shook his head, emphatically. "Oh, come on, Kristin! That's the oldest trick in the book. My bet is that MEDS found out why we were coming here and knew they couldn't keep it covered for long. So, they bring her in and use her to manipulate Lucas and keep us off the real scent." At this, Lucas stood up and was about to march down to the end of the table and deck his so-called 'friend' but the strong arm of his captain restrained him. "Lucas, sit down."  
"I can't believe he thinks Cleo is part of this! She had nothing to do with it!" Krieg sat back in his chair, an equally defiant expression on his face. "Oh really?!" Lucas gritted his teeth, tightening his jaw and balling his fists, "Well, not everyone has what it takes to sink to your miraculous depths, Ben." The blow found its mark and Krieg visibly recoiled somewhat. The tension in the room was tangible and Katie would almost have given her right arm to get out of there. Cleo tried to calm her jangling nerves. "All I know is that Wagner wanted to take his experiments further but he was opposed by his superiors in Canada and work at the mine stopped for a while."  
Westphalen made a few notes and frowned, "A while? So it started up again?"  
Cleo nodded. "Only with Dr. Wagner and a few of the level five clearance authorities."  
Krieg interposed, "So how did you get involved?"  
Cleo swallowed, her eyes darting anxiously at the rapt faces. She wanted so much for them to believe her, that she was telling them the truth. Still, it wasn't enough that she was putting her entire life on the line. "It was about four months after I joined the staff. Dr. Wagner called me into his office and told me he had been watching my work and felt I was ready for promotion. He said he considered me trustworthy for the job, that it would be a learning experience and teach me about confidentiality." She hesitated; that lesson had already been destroyed. "I had no idea what I'd be doing and, until funding was withdrawn, I honestly believed the project was above board." Cleo hurriedly finished, praying for the seaQuest crew to believe her. She didn't have anything else to offer them. Nobody spoke at first but she felt Lucas squeeze her hand under the table.

Finally, Bridger nodded and looked around the table at the grim faces before him then smiled wanly at Cleo. "Thank you, Cleo. You've helped us a lot." He appreciated the risks she was taking by offering all this information and the quicker it was all resolved the better off she'd be. He turned his attention back to his waning crew. As if it wasn't bad enough that they would not be going back to the seaQuest tomorrow, now he was going to deprive them all of well-earned sleep. "I want to get to work on this right now. I want every one of you to find out as much information on this mine as possible. Lucas, you and Dr. Westphalen should run some tests, find out what possible side effects or toxins might be involved here. Report back to me with any news. I want an update every two hours. Try not to attract any attention to yourselves. I want this dealt with as smoothly as possible; the last thing we need is Wagner threatening to sue or forcing us to wait for weeks on end before we get further authorisation to explore the station. I want solid evidence before we accuse him of anything. Are we clear?"  
There were mumbles of agreement and the crew filed out in a disorderly rabble, muttering and cursing under their breath. This was quite possibly the worst detail Nathan could ever remember being assigned to.

Kristin moved to where Lucas was getting up and rubbed one hand up and down his back. "Come on, let's see what we can dig up in there." He gave her a small smile, one which he usually reserved for when he was feeling especially isolated. She turned to Cleo, "Why don't you come and give us a hand? I expect we could use some advice and an extra pair of hands."

Lucas was eternally grateful to Dr. Westphalen for sparing him both the lecture and the understanding talk which she usually tried. She had been born with an innate sense of the right thing to do at any given time and, once more, she had excelled. All the reasons behind his actions were embodied in Cleo and there was no point in trying to explain it to anyone. As they reached the mine entrance, Lucas was starting to feel a bit better about the whole situation. The worst of it was over; he had told Bridger and now he could immerse himself in the science part of the job. Besides, if anything hazardous was found on site, Cleo would have to leave with them anyway for her own safety. Planting himself behind one of the trolleys laden with testing equipment, Lucas picked up a reflectance meter and eyed it thoughtfully. "I guess we should start with the basic properties, find out what this stuff is before we do anything else."

Kristin sidled up with a clipboard which listed all the relevant information Cleo had provided. "Yes, that's the best we can do until the others dig up any more records of the tests. Who knows how deeply Wagner has buried it?" Cleo had been making herself as physically small as possible, standing far away from the others in a corner. Plucking up the courage, she asked, "What can I do?" Kristin offered her a beaming smile in an attempt to make her feel less of an outsider. "Well, we could do with some more rock samples, if you could collect some for me." Nodding gratefully, Cleo was eager to oblige and quickly set about finding the hatchets used for mining.

The tension which had prevailed in Bridger's quarters earlier had begun to dissipate within the hour, no doubt attributable to Kristin's adept handling of the situation between her two charges. The combination of disappointment, fear and apprehension was barely disguised on their youthful faces and the doctor's heart went out to them. She could well remember how all-encompassing love could be, especially at their age, and she only wished there was more she could do to reassure them that there was nothing to worry about. However, it was not her place to intervene in this matter, that was Nathan's domain. No matter how equal he might consider their footing when it came to Lucas Wolenczak, the seaQuest was still his boat and it was clear from their earlier conversation that he was fully aware of how things stood between the teenagers. Whichever decision he made about Cleo's boarding seaQuest would be done so in view of all the facts and Kristin had to respect that, whether she agreed with him or not.

The group worked in silence for the better part of two hours, Cleo carrying out any task Westphalen sent her way with speed and enthusiasm while Lucas barely looked up from the workbench he had adopted for himself. A frown creased his forehead, only broken by the occasional half smile in his companions' direction or a hand rubbed tiredly across his eyes.

Finishing up with the electron microscope she had been using, Kristin noticed Lucas' eyes drooping heavily and his head drop forward before he pulled himself up again, trying his hardest to concentrate on the task when his body was simply telling him to sleep. Whispering to Cleo, the doctor asked, "Cleo, do you think you could get us all some tea and something eat? I think Lucas could do with some sustenance." The girl's eyes wandered over to where her boyfriend had been struggling with some equations on a piece of crumpled paper in front of him, except now his head was resting on his arm, eyes closed. She slipped from the cavernous room without him noticing and Kristin moved over to the boy, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "Lucas." Her tone was gentle but he jumped, muscles tensing beneath her touch and he turned startled eyes on her. "Hmmm? What? Oh, sorry." He quickly began rifling through the papers in front of him again, trying to get his mind focused back on the job in hand but Kristin laid a hand over his before sitting down beside him. "Lucas, I think you need a break. You've been at this for hours." Lucas shook his head, vehemently, running one hand through his blonde hair. "No, the captain needs this information as soon as possible. I can't let him down, I've already done it once, he doesn't need me messing up again..."  
"Lucas, calm down. If Captain Bridger saw you like this, he wouldn't want you working either." Lucas glanced at her from the corners of his eyes, while still keeping his attention firmly on the rock sample in front of him. He wasn't really looking at it but it made a good defence for not having to meet the sympathetic gaze of Dr. Westphalen. Finding an empathetic party was the last thing he needed; Lucas knew that he deserved all the disapproving looks sent in his direction, the blame which he was willing to shoulder. After all, he had discovered exactly what the captain had asked the crew to look out for and had then deliberately withheld the information on account of his feelings for Cleo, ultimately endangering not only the lives of everyone down here but those of the thousands of people living on the shores of Alaska around Anchorage if an earthquake had occurred. Quietly he interjected, "You don't understand. I, I thought that..." Somehow he didn't know how to continue. It sounded stupid even in his own head that one girl could be reason enough to justify everything he had done since his arrival at the MEDS station.

Kristin watched the boy with growing concern. She was used to some kind of rebuff whenever she tried to offer a sympathetic ear or a shoulder to lean on, but it was rare for him to be so despondent. Even when he was firmly in the wrong, Lucas stood his ground like a typical teenager, fuming silently or not so silently, depending on his mood, and then starting the next day afresh. "Lucas, listen to me. Not for one minute would I try to tell you what you're feeling or embarrass you, but love makes us do strange things sometimes. We can't even explain them to ourselves, let alone anyone else. You followed your heart before your head, but you saw its consequences and you did the right thing. You did the hardest part of all, putting the needs of others before your own." Lucas' jaw was set in a hard line, his eyes staring vacantly ahead of him. His voice was barely audible when he spoke. "That's just it. I didn't. I used my head, I thought about the consequences, but I went with my heart anyway." He turned to Westphalen, his eyes fierce and shining with defiance, asking her to hate him. They dared her to find a rational explanation for his callous behaviour or try to turn him back into the blameless martyr in all this, but Kristin knew him too well to give in. "Lucas, we all do. Nobody disputes that when it comes to science, you are cleverer than anyone else aboard seaQuest, probably more skilled than anyone on this station, but when it comes to matters of the heart, you're still learning. There will be all sorts of things you'll discover about yourself on the way and Cleo is just the first step."  
"But nobody else puts lives in danger by following their heart. I could have been responsible for thousands of deaths." Lucas' voice had grown smaller again and Kristin could tell that she was starting to have an impact on the boy. "Maybe, but it is your actions which are being judged, not a hypothetical outcome. You did the right thing in the end and that is all that matters. Everybody can see that." Lucas looked at her, his eyes darkening. "Didn't you see their faces back there? Even Ben hates me."  
Kristin chuckled, "Oh, don't be silly. The only reason they were crotchety was because now they have to stay longer and get less sleep. You'll be back in their good books before you know it." Lucas tried to return her smile, but it failed and died on his lips. Westphalen knew that she had done all the good she was going to do at this point and peered over at the diagrams and equations the teenager had been compiling. "So, what have you got here?"

Rubbing his eyes again and surveying the sheet once again, Lucas cleared his throat. "Well, none of this data adds up. Cleo was right that it is some kind of tourmaline derivative - its colour, formation and SG (1) all correspond but its molecules match those of an organic gem. They are arranged randomly throughout the material with no specific alignment."  
Kristin brought the sample into sharp focus on the microscope at hand, then back at Lucas' studies. "So, how does that explain the regular cleavage? Surely it should break haphazardly if there is no structure?"  
Lucas nodded. "Exactly. It doesn't make any sense."  
"Either we've discovered a whole new section of gemmology or Dr. Wagner is truly a talented man." The doctor's eyes were shining with the prospect of such a find but Lucas wasn't as enthusiastic. He had a bad feeling about all this. "Cleo said the rock can provide some kind of electricity, but yet there's nothing in its structure which would make that feasible. None of this makes sense." Leaning over the sample again, he took a deep breath and sighed, wishing this was all over and he could get back to seaQuest with Cleo. How had everything become so complicated in such a short space of time? Glancing down at the rock, he drew back suddenly. "Doctor, look at this." Kristin followed his gaze and gasped. The rock was no longer a vitreous green colour as it had been moments before, now it was a rainbow of undulating hues before settling for a dark onyx black. "Good Lord!" she exclaimed. "What did you do?"  
"Nothing, I just..." The boy paused and thought for a moment. "I just kind of breathed on it."  
Taking another breath, he sighed purposefully over the rock and watched its colour shift again before taking on a slightly browner tinge. "It's responding to the carbon dioxide levels in the air." The two scientists exchanged excited looks; the MEDS team had every reason to keep this covered up. Who knew what else this rock was capable of? It had already proven that it could generate electricity, change its coloration according to different gas levels in any given space and that the sea life had been thriving on it for some time, getting stronger in the process. Kristin made a few more notes on the clipboard she had been hugging to her chest since their arrival, "We'll have to run some more tests. From what we've seen, the rock seems to be mutating all the time, altering its properties. I really think Captain Bridger should speak to Wagner. Whatever he has done here is seamless...brilliant."

Lucas leaned back in his chair, suddenly feeling a bit better about this project; maybe Westphalen was right about getting back into everyone's good books. Okay, so he hadn't been the one who had invented this rock mutation, but if he came back with some pleasing, perhaps even revolutionary results, nobody would remember the small incident before it.

A moment later, Cleo returned with a tray full of food and drinks, placing it on the edge of the table between the two scientists. Lucas smiled up at her and Kristin took a steaming cup of tea before retreating to her own corner of the cave, tactfully leaving the pair alone. Cleo smiled shyly, suddenly finding herself wondering if she and Lucas were still together. It was strange how quickly a crisis like this could alter so much between two people. They hadn't known each other very long and there was still so much they had yet to discover; a problem like this could part them more easily than in a long relationship. She wanted to be close to him more than anything else but she also knew that Lucas was completely torn between her and the seaQuest crew. If push came to shove, there was a big part of her which had no idea whether he would choose her over Captain Bridger and the others. It was understandable. Bridger had been like a father to him ever since he was pushed onto the boat, but it was more than that. All those people were his friends and he couldn't turn his back on them anymore than she could leave Zach on that depot. Opting for the more professional route, Cleo casually inquired, "How's it going?" Lucas pulled a face and held his hands out to her. "Well, it's going pretty well, actually, but I'd rather be doing this." Pulling her towards him, he planted a kiss on her lips. Cleo felt a wave of relief flow through her. He did still feel the same way about her. Self-consciousness got the better of her when she remembered that Dr. Westphalen was just across the room. Clearing her throat unsteadily, she slung one arm lightly around Lucas' neck and ran a finger across her lips as if trying to hide any evidence of their kiss.  
"What have you found?"  
She fingered through the papers and picked up one rock sample in her hand as Lucas entwined his arms around her waist.  
"I'm not entirely sure. This rock seems to be adapting to different environments and stimuli. The list of possible tests is endless."  
He took a sip of Coke and began unwrapping one of the chocolate bars. "I guess I should report back to Bridger, let him know what we've found, see if he'll bring Wagner in yet."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the station, Lieutenant Benjamin Krieg was not having the same luck. He had been rifling through piles of paperwork and practically anything he could get his hands on in an attempt to discover something useful. It had been going fairly well, if not a little boring in comparison to pretty much anything else he could be doing, and it gave him a chance to revise some of his newly acquired Danish skills. Ben had uncovered a few receipts for mining equipment which seemed to have dodgy suppliers; he remembered using Dan Meyers once to get a new home gym. The guy clearly thought he was Andy Kaufman or something because what turned up clearly resembled a personal dungeon, complete with kinky handcuffs. Krieg had been unimpressed, not to mention very embarrassed, but even he had to admit the guy could get hold of pretty much anything you wanted, no matter how illegal it might be.

He had just pocketed the receipts when he heard footsteps in the corridor outside the room and paused, waiting with bated breath, to see if they passed. Ben was convinced they had moved on and was taken by surprise when the door burst open and one of Dr. Wagner's cohorts, Dr. Rowe, entered. Ben's heart sank. Of all the people to catch him in here, this was the last guy on his list. The scientist was positively psychotic when it came to his work and when he spoke, you could almost see the capillaries popping in his forehead like over-fried eggs. It was not a pretty sight, although somewhat fascinating for the first few minutes.  
"Mr. Krieg! What are you doing in here?"  
The question was almost rhetorical as the man cast his beady eyes around the room, taking in the open file drawers and open dossier resting on top of a cabinet. Ben counted his lucky stars that he had already managed to filch some kind of proof of underhand trade; now he could get the hell out of there before Rowe needed a horse sedative to calm him down. "Uh, I was just..." He felt himself floundering in a sea of nonsensical words, none of which seemed to fit into the English language or sound convincing enough for this freak. Straightening his back and pulling himself up to full height, Ben decided to adopt the 'Don't query UEO orders' expression. He wasn't answerable to this squeak and he sure as hell wasn't going to make it a habit now.  
"Forgive the intrusion, Dr. Rowe, but I have my orders. The UEO have instructed a full search of this station, no holes barred."  
The doctor stared at him, malevolently, suspicion and doubt pasted firmly across his sallow face.  
"Am I to understand that this is a covert operation, Mr. Krieg?"  
Ben stared back at him, blankly. "Why are you sneaking around at this time of night?"  
"Oh, well, I forgot that this room had not been checked and, since Captain Bridger wants to leave tomorrow morning, I thought I'd better carry out a thorough search now. Everything seems to be in order though, so I'll get out of your hair...metaphorically, of course," he added, glancing up at the man's balding pate. Despite the insult, this explanation seemed to satisfy Rowe, and as Krieg gestured towards the door, he stood aside to let him pass. Ben breathed a sharp sigh of relief before directing his course to the captain's quarters.

As soon as Lucas and Kristin had relayed all the information to Nathan, he called the rest of the team back. They all needed to hear the potential risks and benefits of this rock and, at this point, everyone required all the information. Hitchcock, looking like a thunder cloud, no doubt a product of lack of sleep, asked coldly, "So you're telling me that you know this rock does something but you don't really know what." Kristin saw Lucas' face fall; he had been so excited about passing on what they had discovered, about restoring some of the crew's faith in him. Instead, it had all been thrown back in his face, by those whose opinions he valued the most. The doctor quickly stepped in to argue on his behalf. "I think you're missing the point here, lieutenant. What we've found appears to be a completely new hybrid of organic and non-organic gem. We've just stumbled upon a new manufactured mineral species, thanks to Dr. Wagner, so you'll forgive us if it takes a little longer than four hours to come up with a full assessment."  
Katie huffed, "Then why don't we haul him in here and get some real answers?" Lucas shrank back as the words hit his ears, their impact weighing heavily on his dwindling confidence. Nathan could sense the tension rising in the group and tried to diffuse it. "Scientific interest aside, the most important question is: do we have a high risk problem here? Do we need to evacuate the station and is there a risk to the inhabitants on shore?" Kristin exchanged dubious glances with Lucas and the boy tried his hardest to muster up some degree of confidence to his voice. "At this stage, there doesn't seem to be any risk from the rock itself and the mining itself is fairly minimal..."  
Katie cut in, bluntly. "Lucas? Is it a problem?" Lucas paused. It was unusual for Katie to be so short with him and so impatient when it came to work. This kind of conference environment was her element, something which the crew had come to respect and she had a commanding presence in the room. To hear her suddenly bullying Lucas about the matter was both uncharacteristic and off-putting to the rest of the group. Even Nathan, who had seen his crew under almost every kind of trying circumstance, was taken aback.  
"I think Lucas was about to tell us that, commander."  
Kristin turned to the teenager, willing him to continue, but his voice was already growing unsteady. He felt as if he had just stepped into a minefield of his own creation, uncertain of what might trigger the next explosion or outburst from one of his friends. Inwardly, he knew that this was nothing more than confirmation of how much they all hated him now. "Um, I think that we should refine access to the mine - scientific research only, working with small samples. I don't think it would be wise to extract any more rock until we have more information...and I do think we should question Wagner as soon as possible."  
Ben had been sitting unusually quietly, considering his usual buoyant nature, and as he saw his young friend floundering under the attack of Katie's piercing eyes, he jumped in. "I went back to their supply records, sir, and ran over the incoming materials over the past six months. There was some excavation equipment delivered less than a month ago. That would make it after Cleo said the mine had been closed. At first, I didn't think anything of it because we had already been shown what we thought was the whole mining area. The items were received from Mr. Daniel Meyers, an independent trader. There are few records on him, but he is renowned as a trustworthy guy in a criminal's game. Anything illegal or underhand can go through him and you're guaranteed satisfaction with minimum fuss. Consider this a personal recommendation."  
He smiled but was met with a table of serious expressions; once again his joke was completely inappropriate. Damn, why couldn't he get his timing right? Clearing his throat, he retrieved the supply demands from his back pocket and sheepishly uncrumpled the pages with deliberate care before handing them across the Bridger. The captain perused them for a moment, then looked up. "Commander Hitchcock, contact seaQuest and explain the situation."  
Katie stood up and headed into an adjacent room which housed the communications equipment. "Lucas, Kristin, you continue your research into this rock. Crocker, I'd like you to accompany me to speak to Dr. Wagner. Now that we have a good reason to search the base, he'll have to co-operate."  
"Co-operate with what?"  
The group turned at the unexpected booming voice, to be confronted with Dr. Wagner standing firmly in the doorway, his stance showing no sign of moving until he had squeezed every word from the seaQuest crew. At first, no one responded.  
"As chief oceanographer on this station, I think I have a right to know your plans, why you are conspiring against us."  
His voice was bordering on uncontrollable anger, every muscle in his body visibly tensed as he gazed defiantly from one surprised face to the next. Only Ben seemed more or less unperturbed by this outburst. For some reason, nearly every scientist he had come into contact with on the base had responded to him in this way - an unwelcome fusion of paranoia and stubbornness. Captain Bridger stood up, determined not to let this man intimidate his team any further.  
"Dr. Wagner, we are doing no such thing. As you well know, the UEO was sent here to ensure that there was no danger to the people up-world." The doctor's face contorted into a vicious mask of contempt. "Yes, yes, so you keep saying. You just keep hiding behind your corporate shield, it doesn't matter how much you might be disrupting my people and my work!"  
At this, a snort of disgust emanated from Chief Crocker's end of the room, and the scientist turned a steely glare on him, prompting Bridger to say, "Well, perhaps if your work and your people were undertaking legal operations, our presence here wouldn't be such a problem for you." The group waited in pin-dropping silence for Wagner's response, for the tirade or flying furniture; they were rewarded with neither. Instead, the doctor calmly inquired, "And which illegal operations would these be?"  
Krieg held up the supply demand slip which he had salvaged from the mess in the filing cabinets. "The ones which required mining equipment from a shady dealer after your project was closed down." The proof dangled from his fingertips, yet Wagner still made no reply.  
"Our project was never shut down. Funding was restricted. I know nothing about any orders. That is Dr. Rowe's jurisdiction." Lucas sat forward in his chair. He might not be able to make his friends like him again, but he could certainly try to bring the enemy down a notch or two.  
"And I expect you know nothing about the mine either, right?" Wagner looked at him as if he were some bug which had just crawled up from the ground. He resented the Wolenczak name, especially some kid genius who thought he had the right to waltz onto his research station and ask the questions. "Well, I'd hardly call it a mine, more like a few indentations on the cliff face, as I'm sure Dr. Westphalen will vouch."  
She returned him an icy stare, "We mean the other mine." To the untrained eye, the alteration in Wagner's visage would be imperceptible, but to the members of seaQuest who knew better, that sudden bunching of muscles spoke volumes.  
Bridger asked, "Why didn't you tell us about it when we arrived? You knew the purpose of our visit. None of your work would have been disrupted and we could have been out of the area within a few hours...although our finds now make that an impossibility." Wagner frowned slightly, "What do you mean? What finds?" Lucas exchanged despairing looks with Kristin and he couldn't contain himself a moment longer. "Come on, Wagner! How long are you going to keep this up? We know that you have been testing quantities of rock on the ocean bed, that you've been using it to somehow power areas of the station. The preliminary tests Dr. Westphalen and I have done already show that it's neither organic nor inorganic..."  
Dr. Wagner interrupted, "Oh, it's organic. I've run copious tests on the rock personally. The fluctuations in properties can only be organic. An inorganic gem couldn't respond as this one has been doing."  
He paused for a moment, taking in the incredulous faces around the table. It was almost comical, their thoughts like an open book; they couldn't believe that he would offer information when he had kept the mine from them for so long. Well, he could mess with their heads just long enough to get them out of here and then he could get back to masterminding a revolution in human existence. Somehow, he had to dupe them into believing that what they had stumbled upon was not some exciting new species of rock, but a mutation created artificially by expensive and dangerous means. It would take a little longer with Dr. Westphalen and that genius kid around, but he could do it.  
Katie Hitchcock leaned forward slowly, "Does this mean you will co-operate with us in this investigation?"  
Wagner smirked at his bemused audience. "I think you are all missing the point here. That rock is not naturally occurring. It was generated in my lab."  
Lucas shook his head in disbelief. "I don't believe that!" Even though Cleo had told them as much, Lucas still found it difficult to accept and he was certainly not going to take Wagner's word for it. "You can't just alter entire sheets of rock in a laboratory and I don't care how advanced your equipment might be. The level and intensity of heat required to perform such a change are a physical impossibility. Besides, the qualities in the rock must have some kind of organic factors in order to change as much as they do. You don't engineer that kind of thing! Only nature can do that."  
Wagner raised his eyebrows in mock surprise and eyed the teenager with an air of benevolent surprise. "Is this the same Lucas Wolenczak I've been hearing about all this time, listening to his latest theories and having his new productions rammed down my throat at every available opportunity? The mastermind of science who can make dolphins speak and created perfect laminar flow to imitate a fish, is now admitting that science has its limits?! Someone call the press. I'm sure the papers would love this scoop. I could probably go into early retirement on a statement like that."  
Lucas felt his temper rising. He really hated this guy. Trying to steady his voice, he explained, "I'm not saying it isn't possible, but science moves forward in steps not leaps. We simply don't have the technology to perform such experiments yet. Twenty years from now, maybe, but not now. Besides, I've seen nothing on this station with the capacity to do what you're saying."

Wagner felt his self-assurance waver momentarily. He had anticipated that this would be a challenge, but he couldn't afford to let the UEO figure out what they had stumbled into and steal his prize. His mind was racing with possible explanations with which to back up his statement, partly controlled by desperation to prevent them discovering his true motives and partly by adrenaline fired by the thrill of trying to keep them off the scent.  
"Despite your prowess in this field, Mr. Wolenczak, I wouldn't expect you to understand the complexities of this project. I have been working on it for over three years now and it is borne out of plenty of hard work with much trial by error. Such a simplification as I have offered you here is only the tip of what I have been doing...and it has a name, you know." Kristin saw Lucas open his mouth, about to blurt out something wholly inappropriate, no doubt, and decided to put a stop to the battling of the two's egos. She nudged his leg under the table and he glanced in her direction in time to catch the warning look and shut his mouth, sulkily. Instead, Ben cut in, "Oh, and what's that? Wagnavite? Egotite?"  
Wagner sent him a withering look, "Polychromatite, actually."  
Krieg decided it was better to call it a truce now, especially considering the warning expressions he was also receiving from his comrades.

Bridger, meanwhile, had been watching the rising tension with a degree of interest, aware that his knowledge in this area was limited and Lucas was a more adequate spokesperson for the UEO in this capacity than he could ever be. Now, however, was clearly the time to step in. "That's as maybe but we will need full details of your work if we are to give the okay to Admiral Noyce." Wagner said nothing, nodding silently. Considering the matter settled, Nathan gestured to Lucas, "You and Dr. Westphalen can examine the data when Dr. Wagner has compiled it." At this, the scientist raised his hands in protest. "Wait a minute. I can't possibly gather all my material that fast. I mean, it's scattered all over the place. This is three years worth of work you're asking me to collect."  
"You constructed a revolution in science and you didn't think to keep your notes in one place?" Krieg asked, incredulous. He may not be the most reliable member of the crew when it came to personal propriety of his paperwork, but the kind of paperwork he dealt with could be easily reproduced by simply sending off for another form. "What if it fell into the wrong hands and you only have one copy?" Wagner was fuming silently beneath his casual veneer. These people were grating on his nerves more than he had expected. "Look, I don't need to explain my actions to you. The best I can do is try to find everything I have. It's all around here somewhere."  
He hesitated before adding, "At the risk of implicating myself in something more sinister, which I think you've already decided anyway, I might suggest you return to your boat until I've got everything on hand."  
Nathan considered this for a moment. The man was right, there was very little he or any of his naval staff could do in an official capacity on the station at this stage. Only Lucas and Kristin were of any use and he couldn't abandon seaQuest for much longer, no matter how solid Commander Ford's skills might be.  
"Thank you for your input, Dr. Wagner, but I shall assess the most useful course of action. Before you go, I have a few more questions which need answering."  
Wagner raised his eyebrows in indignant expectation. "Yes?"  
Nathan braced himself. He didn't want to force Cleo into the open as their informer on this case but he had to find out how the project had begun from the horse's mouth.  
"An employee of yours has mentioned that you have been farming this polychromatite and using it on the sea bed. Is this true?"  
Wagner fidgeted with the glasses he had just taken off. "Everything which was deposited into the ocean was nothing more than normal rock."  
"What about these apparent changes in the sea life?"  
"They were all carried out within a controlled undersea environment." Wagner's eyes took on a dead, cruel expression as he looked across towards Lucas. "Young Miss Walker was wrong about some things."  
Nathan ignored his comment and continued, "What about human testing?"  
Wagner chuckled in surprise. "Human testing? How would I do that?"  
"That's what I'm asking you."  
"Well, I may be good but I've yet to turn rocks into bread and feed the multitudes, Captain Bridger." Nathan could see that this was going to be a dead loss. He was going to have to rely on Lucas and Kristin's assessments on that front or some more firm evidence. "Thank you, doctor. Why don't you get onto finding some of that information?"  
He waited for the man to take the hint, watching as he withdrew from the room with all the slinkiness of a deadly snake, his venom barely masked beneath his stony face.

Once outside the door, Dr. Wagner paused, weighing up whether he should bother listening in on the rest of seaQuest's discussion, but he thought better of it. He knew what they were doing and he didn't need to resort to spying in order to keep one step ahead of them. If he could just get them off the station and back to their wretched whale of a boat, everything would be fine. Turning on his heel, he headed back towards his own quarters, grateful that Bridger had spared him the indignity of having it searched like he was some kind of criminal. Damn the UEO! You are driven hundreds of feet under the ocean's surface in one of the least desirable areas in the world in order to carry out research for the benefit of the rest of the world. They don't give a damn about you until they begin to suspect that your finds might be of use to them, a way to make them more money for nuclear warheads or components to send junk metal into space. Now, just as he was close to the breakthrough of a lifetime, a discovery to outdo even man's first expedition into space, the government were already well on their way to messing it up for him.

Locking the door firmly behind him, Wagner sat behind his desk and ran one hand under the table top before producing a small plastic packet. He tipped the contents, a fine green-tinged powder, into the palm of his hand. Reaching for a glass of water, he sprinkled it into the bottom before downing the liquid in one huge mouthful. Standing up, the scientist paced around the room impatiently, wracking his brains to think of an effective way to rid himself of these supposedly peaceable people for good. Bridger and his kind were like an itch he couldn't scratch, like a knife blade tipped with salt. He felt the throbbing in his joints, his body surging with excess adrenaline fighting to find a release. Unable to control himself any longer, his fist flew at the heavy metal door. Withdrawing it, Wagner stared at the dented mark left there, a row of visible holes where each knuckle had imprinted itself. He looked down at the offending hand, proudly. Oh yes, he would get the credit for his find, even if it meant that lives had to be sacrificed in the process.


	5. Out Of The Blue - Part 5

OUT OF THE BLUE (PART 5)

By Allegra

See Part One for disclaimers etc.

Hitchcock had been trying to link up with the seaQuest for about five minutes now, with disappointing results.  
"This is station 690 to seaQuest. Come in."  
Her voice hoarse from using the If I shout louder they might hear me tactic and it was starting to grate on the commander's already fraying nerves. The last thing they needed was to be stranded here, unable to make contact with the mother ship just because of some stupid northern lights or some idiot technician down here. Even Katie was surprised by how irritable she had grown since they had arrived but she was starting to put it down to cabin fever. Nothing else could explain the uncontrollable urge she felt to hit someone or scream at the buffoons she had been surrounded by. On the point of giving up, she was about to throw the receiver unceremoniously against the wall when the static dissolved and reformed into something sounding surprisingly like a human voice. Katie had just opened her mouth to try and make contact again when O'Neill's face swung sharply into focus.  
"Commander Hitchcock?"  
"O'Neill. I've been trying to get through for ages. What's happening?"  
"Ditto. We put it down to the northern lights. Commander Ford wants to speak to you." Flicking a switch, Katie was confronted with the agitated face of her superior. "Commander, what's going on down there?" Hitchcock stifled the urge to give her version of events, but opted for the more diplomatic one. "Well, there has been some mining activity down here, but we have yet to determine whether it is hazardous to anyone living above the base."  
"Well, perhaps I can shed some light on that. We have a Dr. Emory Olafsson on board, a MEDS supervisor who was supposed to be carrying out an inspection on some of Dr. Wagner's research. It seems the good doctor has some dubious work ethics."  
Katie sighed, miserably. She really hated it here. "Yeah, we're just starting to figure that out ourselves."  
"Is the captain there? He's going to want to hear this."

Silence pervaded the room for long minutes after Wagner had left, each crew member convinced that the weasel would still be eavesdropping. Finally, Bridger said, "Well, the man did have a point about us all staying here. Apart from security measures and a bit of UEO shine, all of us are useless except for Kristin and Lucas." Chief Crocker added, "With all due respect, sir, I wouldn't trust these people as far as I could throw them. I just want that on record."  
"And it is acknowledged, Chief. I agree, but our sneaking around probably didn't help us much. Now that the situation is out in the open, I think they will be more willing to co-operate." Kristin shook her head, "As a scientist myself, I'd say we have even more reason to be careful now. What they see is not the UEO diffusing a potentially hazardous situation, but someone stepping in to steal their thunder." Bridger nodded, deep in thought.

He knew Kristin was right and that both she and Lucas needed to remain on the station which made him more uncomfortable than he cared to admit. As a seafaring man, he had signed up for exactly this kind of mission, as had all the other members of his crew assembled here. Lucas and Westphalen, on the other hand, had never opted for this duty and it made Nathan feel agitated just thinking about it. He had never been faced with a dilemma like this, where his presence wasn't required and theirs was. Cautiously, he turned to Lucas, "What about our other suspicions?"  
Lucas leaned back in his chair, "You mean about the possibility of human consumption of this rock? No, it's impossible. It would take a damn sight longer than three years to come up with a find like that. Wagner might be lying about a lot of things but not that. We're just not capable of that at this point in time." Nathan was in the middle of weighing up the pros and cons involved in where to send his people when Commander Hitchcock returned. "Captain, I have Commander Ford on-line. He needs to talk to you. He has a Dr. Olafsson onboard who claims to have information we might need."  
"Put him on." Placing the small vid link screen on the table where everyone could see it, Katie sat back down with her crew. Ford gestured to off screen at the right. "I have Dr. Emory Olafsson with me, sir. He was supposed to be reviewing Dr. Wagner's work at the base but he couldn't make contact. I don't know what you've found down there but Dr. Olafsson has reason to believe that Wagner has an underhand project on the go."

Bridger sat up smartly. Things were starting to look up; at this rate, the good doctor aboard seaQuest would be able to supply all the information and proof they needed to get Wagner shut down and get the crew the hell off this damned station. Skilfully containing his excitement, Nathan waited for Dr. Olafsson to come to the monitor. "Captain Bridger, it's an honour to finally make your acquaintance. This is a very fine boat you've got here."  
"Thank you. So, what is this information you have?" The group listened patiently as Olafsson explained the situation again, only pausing for breath every few minutes as his voice gathered momentum. When he had reached a sure conclusion, Bridger thanked the doctor and asked, "Commander Ford, could you get onto a secure line." A moment later, the only people party to the ensuing conversation were the captain's assembled crew and Jonathan. "I think Olafsson has given us everything we need to know. We'll call Wagner back in here, confirm the doctor's suspicions and hopefully shut him down." Lucas sat forward indignantly in his chair, "But sir..."  
Nathan raised a hand in protest. "No buts, Lucas. Whatever Wagner has been tampering with can't be good and the sooner this place is allowed to revert to a normal off shore ecosystem the better."  
Kristin tentatively pointed out. "I understand your reasoning, Nathan, but no matter what the man's intentions were, what he has created is nevertheless a revolution in biological research."  
"What are you asking me to do, Kristin?"  
Westphalen glanced around the table at the expectant faces of her comrades, and finally at Lucas, whose expression was telling of how much he wanted to stay here.  
"I'm not asking anything of you...except to let Lucas and I remain on the station a while longer, just to examine Dr. Wagner's work a little further."  
Bridger waited patiently for someone else to tell her how absurd it was, but he was met with silence. Clearly, he was going to have to deal with all this himself. "Doctor, you know I can't do that. You know the risks here. There is absolutely no chance of me leaving two civilians on this base, not to mention the fact that as soon as the base is shut down, seaQuest will be required to return to port and deliver Wagner to the UEO. There isn't time for you to stay here, I'm sorry."

Ben had been watching his young friend with some interest, noticing the way his face had fallen at Bridger's last few words. It meant a lot to Lucas to be able to stay here and Krieg might not be the most sensitive guy in the room, but months of experience told him that his melancholy wasn't entirely related to a certain girl here. He had seen the sheer guilt and self-hatred in his eyes when everyone had been so cold to him earlier over withholding his discovery of the mine, and it didn't take a genius to see that he desperately needed to win back some trust from his friends. It had been a hard slog for him finding a niche amongst a crew who were twice his age and only half as intelligent, especially when some people considered him to have a major attitude problem, but Lucas had managed it. Slowly but surely and more through his heroic actions rather than personality, he had garnered the respect of many people around him. The relationship he shared with Captain Bridger was more important to him than anything else in the world, that much was obvious even to a dunderhead like Ben. It must have been torture having to choose between his loyalty to a surrogate father and the girl he thought he was in love with. What Lucas needed now, more than anything, was someone firmly on his side, someone who would stand up for him.  
"With all due respect, captain, I have to go with Kristin on this one. I mean, whatever Wagner started here could never be considered redundant. Put this research with one of the brightest young minds in the world, the possible benefits are endless. To be frank, we'd be fools to pass up the opportunity to find out more about what he was up to."  
Jonathan added, "Not to mention the security measures. It wouldn't do the UEO any favours if we shut this place down only to find it the source of some environmental contamination disaster a few years down the line." Crocker was surprised at Krieg's sudden bout of thoughtfulness. Usually he was the first in line for the shuttle out of there and he certainly wasn't one to fight someone else's battle, especially when that person might constitute a reason for him to stay on the station for an indefinite amount of time. Still, the chief had to admit that the point was well made. There was still a great deal which could be of use from the MEDS research base and it would be in the world's interests to make sure it was not lost forever. "Captain, there is minimal risk once Wagner and his team have been removed. The base will be empty and we know the mining was too insignificant to create any structural weaknesses."

Bridger could clearly see that he was outnumbered and while he didn't like the idea of leaving Lucas and Kristin on the base, he had to admit that his personal worries were not reason enough to stand in the way of scientific discovery.  
"Very well." He acceded, looking over at the renewed eagerness in the two scientists' faces, then wagged a finger in Lucas' direction. "But don't do anything foolish...and you're not staying here alone. Krieg, you can stay with them, I'm sure they could do with a hand." Ben rolled his eyes in despair. This was not what he had in mind and he was starting to regret ever standing up for that wiry kid. Still, who knows what kind of fun a guy could have on a base like this with no supervision...especially considering the equipment they had.

Nathan tried hard to ignore the smug smile which had begun to spread from ear to ear on his lieutenant because it rarely symbolised anything but the worst kind of mischief a man could devise. The captain momentarily revised his decision to leave Krieg behind, but of all his people, Ben was the least vital to the running of the seaQuest and being a morale officer might have productive effects on Lucas' dwindling optimism. "I'll have a couple of men sent from the boat as a precautionary measure."

Dealing with this matter was not top of Nathan's list of things to do today, resulting from the compromising position it placed him in rather than any shirking of responsibility. Lucas might be growing up, faster than Bridger would like to admit, but he still felt too close to the boy sometimes to be objective. Any other science crew member would have his full blessing to stay here and harness some of Wagner's research, but it was a whole different ball game when it came to Lucas and Bridger was only too aware of how divided his mind was. The risks were minimal, he had to admit, but with the fluctuations in communications and the isolated position of the station, not to mention the unknown factors about this rock, the captain was loath to leave a teenaged boy alone. Having Kristin alongside him didn't make Nathan feel any better either. The two people on his boat for whom he cared the most and they would now be the only ones he was unable to protect. However, although he didn't like to think of himself as intimidated by the thoughts of his crew, quite the opposite, on this occasion he could see their point and understood that it was only his selfishness which stood between them and new gateways in scientific discovery. Losing his son, Robert, and then his wife, had taken its emotional toll on the seaQuest's weathered captain and took all his will power not to gather Lucas and Kristin in his arms and forcibly take them to the docking bay. For now though, all he could hope for was that Ben would perform his duties with every care and ensure that nothing happened to such precious cargo.

Bridger turned to his second in command, "Thank you, Commander Ford. Send a few men for security here along with Dr. Olafsson. If we are to learn anything from this rock, his input will be indispensable. Lieutenant Krieg, Dr. Westphalen and Lucas will remain on the station with the doctor for pick-up in two days." He glanced, questioningly, across at the two scientists. "Will that be enough time?" Kristin exchanged a quizzical look with Lucas, who stammered, "Uh, yeah, I guess that's enough time. I mean we don't really know what we're looking at here." Bridger silenced him with one hand. There were not going to be any grey areas on this trip. He wanted to know exactly when Lucas and Kristin were coming back on board, just in case. "We'll say two days. That should give us enough time to offload Wagner and get back here."  
He turned to Hitchcock, "Get Wagner back in here again. We are going to have this thing out once and for all."  
"Yes, sir." Katie jumped up and headed for the door. She didn't like Wagner one bit and he had been nothing but a hindrance ever since they arrived at the station, but similarly, she wanted to get off this heap of junk as quickly as possible and the prospect of whipping his hide in order to do it was quite a pleasant thought.

Bridger felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins. Unaware that he was not alone in his feelings, the captain was already taking a perverse joy in the idea of confronting Wagner with what they knew. He had been trying his hardest to hold them off and it had been clear that the man imagined himself to be some kind of genius in hiding everything from them. Now, it was coming right back at him, and about time, too. "Commander Ford, we'll report back to you when we've located Dr. Wagner."  
"Yes, sir." Ford signed off, leaving the group back in a self-imposed isolation on the base. It was surprising how a simple vid link could highlight that fact so clearly.  
It was only minutes before Hitchcock returned with an indignant looking Dr. Wagner, who entered the room like an accused criminal being brought into the dock. Bridger ignored the affected bored tone in his face and attempted his most imposing UEO formality expression. "Dr. Wagner, I'm not sure we'll be needing all that information after all. I assume the name Dr. Olafsson rings a bell." Wagner paused as if wracking his brains for some reminder before nodding, "Emory Olafsson. Yes, I remember him. I think he's been funding my work for some time. I can't say I've ever really seen much of the man though."  
Bridger eyed him, thoughtfully. "Really? And what kind of work was it that he was funding?"  
"Oh, just basic investigations into the adaptation of plant life to the currents in the area. Nothing especially profound."  
Wagner seemed oblivious to the sudden sharp intake of breath from Westphalen sitting beside him and to its significance.  
"Why?" Nathan was starting to come into his own now. Ever since their arrival, he had been in the dark about what exactly was going on, but now it was falling together like the final pieces of a complicated jigsaw and he was enjoying the end result. "I think I'm the one asking the questions here, doctor. Plant life you say? Well, Mr. Olafsson has contrary beliefs. Now you tell me who is lying here, because he is currently aboard seaQuest with documented proof that you have been implementing illegal and unrestrained experiments in the immediate vicinity of this station. Is this true? Because I seem to remember you telling me not more than an hour ago that all your tests took place in a controlled environment." Wagner's jaw tightened, a small muscle flexing in his cheek and the veins in his neck standing out in stark elevation on his reddening skin. Tapping his finger nervously on the corner of the table, he said nothing for a moment, casting accusing glares around the crew as if they were all to blame for his sudden uncloaking.  
Finally he erupted. "I don't know what that man has told you but he has been trying to shut me down for years!"  
Bridger felt that the man's physical state had revealed more than anything he might have left to say, and he nodded knowingly. "I see, and I suppose his funding of your research has been out of malice?" Wagner refrained from answering so the captain continued. "What you have done is against the law and, as a scientist, I have to admit that your boldness and stupidity astounds me. You have been genetically altering the rock properties in the water around and beneath this base, fusing organic material into the rock, thus unbalancing all ocean life."  
At this Wagner opened his mouth to retort, "I thought you were here to investigate mining facilities?" Bridger sighed. Didn't this man know when to stop?  
"Yes, and we have seen the results of your rock project - its electromagnetic properties, its constant mutations...and we want a full explanation from you." At first, it did not appear that Wagner had any plans to explain himself, but the deathly silence which pervaded the room was eventually lifted when he realized how outnumbered he was. "Fine, fine. Look, you've heard everything there is to tell. I've been studying gemmology for some years now and when I heard that this base was rich in tourmaline, I asked to be assigned here. A few years ago, I decided to try and alter the structure of the rock itself, taking small samples at first and modifying them to create organic rocks. At first the tests were pretty much redundant...until about six months ago."  
Lucas nodded, half in awe of what this man had managed to create, and half angry at his deception. "And that's what we saw in the mine? The success story."  
"Yes. The polychromatite began to mutate as I had hoped, installing an apparent side effect of electromagnetic properties. Unbeknownst to me, excess samples of the rock were dropped into the ocean. Then, one of my colleagues noticed the enhancement in life forms around the refuge chute area. The site was never intended to be used as part of the experiment. Only a small area outside our controlled environment was affected but, unfortunately, that is all Dr. Olafsson chose to notice. So, captain, as a scientist, neither my boldness nor stupidity are at fault." Bridger watched him through narrowed eyes. "I wouldn't be so sure about that. Dropping experimental waste into the sea is hardly the choice of geniuses...or even half wits." He waited for his words to settle and he took great pleasure in watching the venom rising, unrestrained, in Wagner's face. "Dr. Wagner, under UEO law, I am closing this unit down and you will accompany me back to seaQuest where Admiral Noyce will decide how to deal with this matter."  
"You bastard! You can't do this! I've worked and long and hard to get here and you are not going to take it all away from me with some stupid spiel about UEO law! The UEO couldn't give a damn about me and my work when it suited them and now you think you can snap your fingers and change all that! I won't let you!" Nathan gestured to Crocker and Krieg who stood up and moved silently to the doctor's side of the table, placing restraining arms on either shoulder. "I don't think you want to make a threat like that, doctor, at this stage. It might adversely affect your case."  
Wagner gritted his teeth, angrily, the flames dancing in his eyes with fury. "God damn you all!" Nathan turned to Crocker and quietly added, "Chief, take this man into custody while we wait for Commander Ford's men to arrive."  
"Aye, sir." Crocker drew Wagner away from the table and out into the hallway, retrieving a pair of handcuffs from his back pocket as he did so. The scientist might not be brandishing arms or waging war on his people, but the chief wasn't about to take that chance. Ignoring the man's protests, Crocker managed to force Wagner's arms behind his back and marched him to the makeshift brig he had set up earlier that day in optimistic preparation for its guest.

Commander Ford had the men prepared and the launch all ready to go within five minutes and he was relieved to find Dr. Olafsson more than co-operative when the time drew to leave. From the irritable tone in his captain's voice when they had spoken and the grim exterior of the station, the MEDS base didn't appear to be the most popular haunt. He had been expecting at least a small amount of protest from someone who couldn't be ordered around by the UEO. However, he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth and Jonathan quickly instructed O'Neill, whose communications shift had just finished, to go with the group. He worried about leaving the doctor in the hands of his inferiors and wanted someone trustworthy and high ranking to accompany their guest to the base. O'Neill had looked about as grateful as he had been when he had been assigned as tea boy earlier that day, but Ford felt he had little choice. It was part of his job to glad hand such passengers and, unable to leave the boat himself, he was forced to delegate. He had to be grateful though, because no matter how hard done by Tim O'Neill was, he always played the part he had been assigned fairly graciously and Dr. Olafsson barely noticed the few sarcastic comments made on the short journey to the MEDS station where Captain Bridger was ready to meet them.

"Dr. Olafsson, it's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for your help, you've certainly saved us a lot of extra work." Olafsson returned Nathan's hand shake with surprising vigour, his eyes scanning the other assembled crew members, warily. "I am happy to be of assistance, but I am sorry for the circumstances. Dr. Wagner was a fine scientist and I wish I did not have to be the driving hand in his dismissal."  
Bridger nodded, admiring the man's attitude to this situation.  
"His position is still unclear. I doubt this incident will affect his career for the worse."  
He gently placed one hand on his guest's back and guided him to where the crew were standing, beckoning Lucas and Kristin forward.  
"These are my two best scientists, Dr. Westphalen and Lucas Wolenczak. They will be remaining on the station to undertake further research along with Lieutenant Krieg."  
Olafsson looked his comrades up and down, his face a mask of indifference. "I see the Wolenczak legacy has been passed down the generations. Your father is a fine man."  
Lucas wished those hadn't been the first words uttered, principally because his own feelings for his father were confused at the best of times and it was always difficult to find the right words to say how he felt. It was the single topic he was unable to respond to with a simple nicety or white lie. People never mentioned it because they wanted an in depth analysis of the boy's relationship with Lawrence Wolenczak but Lucas felt like a fraud if he lauded his own father when there was so much distance between them in other ways. He settled for a grateful smile as Olafsson moved away down the corridor with Bridger, prompting the others to follow.

By early next morning, Dr. Olafsson had been shown round all the necessary facilities and was housed in comfortable rooms for the duration of his stay. Now, the team had regrouped in the docking bay, ready for departure back to seaQuest. Cleo had come to see them off or go with them. She had no idea what was going on until she had heard an announcement over the intercom system requesting all MEDS staff to report to the launch bay. That had been half an hour ago and she had watched all her companions being told to pack their stuff and get onboard the waiting shuttle to Anchorage because the station was being officially closed down. Part of her had already excluded herself from this instruction because, with every breath she took, Cleo prayed that Lucas would come to her and tell her it was okay, that she didn't have to leave or that she'd be going with him.

Lucas had found her as she was packing some of her things, her heart pounding in her chest with fear of what lay ahead. He pushed the door open quietly, his knock barely audible in the muffled sounds of the underwater base. "Cleo, what are you doing?" She didn't look up but continued stuffing clothes and books into a duffel bag. "Didn't you hear the announcement? I'm packing." Lucas sat down on the bed and staid her hand which was poised with a T-shirt ready to be packed. "No, you don't have to do that. I'm staying."  
"What do you mean? You can't."  
Lucas grinned when he saw the slight glow which returned to her cheeks. "Captain Bridger wants me to stay behind and take a closer look at the mine."  
Cleo laughed, "That's great!"  
"Come with me to see them off. I'm sure I can convince the captain that your help would be invaluable here." He placed deliberate emphasis on 'invaluable' and moved to kiss her hand like a knight courting his lady, a playful gleam in his eye. He drew her towards the door and kissing her again on the lips, they headed for the launch bay.

Wagner had already been put aboard in order to avoid any kind of uncomfortable and unnecessary confrontations between the two former colleagues. Bridger waited for everyone else to follow suit before he turned to the crew members who would be left behind, hoping to offer a bit of morale and perhaps some guidance in the younger departments. He approached Kristin, knowing that she would give him some much needed reassurance in this matter.  
"Kristin, we'll be back in two days to pick you up."  
She patted his arm when she saw Nathan's darting glance in the direction of the door, muttering, "Where is he?" She understood only too well how difficult it was for him to just leave the boy here and the fact that Lucas hadn't even shown up was a source of great concern.  
"He'll be here, Nathan. You're only going for two days, there's no need for a big farewell, especially when you're a teenager. This would rate quite highly on the mush-o-meter."  
Nathan smiled and nodded. "Perhaps you're right. I just...I haven't had much time for him lately and then there was the whole Cleo thing. I just hope I haven't ostracized him."  
"Of course not. He'll be fine, you'll see. Just you wait until you come back. He'll be back to the same old obnoxious teenager we all love and cherish." No sooner had the words left her mouth than Lucas burst through the door with Cleo in tow. Bridger tried to stifle the words which threatened to spill from his mouth, including lectures on punctuality. "Lucas, what's this?" He looked past the boy at Cleo who shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Lucas' humbled expression suddenly fired into determination and Nathan silently cursed himself for trying the forceful route first.  
"I want Cleo to stay with us here. We need her help...and she doesn't want to leave."  
Bridger looked at the pair with a mixture of fondness and exasperation before taking Cleo by the shoulders and calmly saying, "Listen to me, Cleo. You can't stay here indefinitely. You will have to leave."  
Cleo nodded, "I know." Nathan could tell that she understood. There was nothing else he could say which would have any further impact on her and the frightened expression in her eyes was more than enough convincing.  
"Fine, you can stay..." He saw Lucas' face brighten and raised his eyebrows warningly, "...but I want this work done and I want you both ready to leave as soon as seaQuest gets back here. Understood?" Lucas and Cleo exchanged amused glances which Bridger chose to ignore. There was no point in trying to discipline them, they were riding the crest of a wave and the old captain just didn't know how to surf. Perhaps he would have more luck with Kristin.  
"Keep an eye on those two, will you?" Then, his gaze wandered to Ben, who was still standing near the launch, examining paint work. "And that one." He gestured with one thumb in the morale officer's direction, and Kristin laughed. "Don't fret, Nathan. Go!" He turned back one final time to say something to Lucas but the boy was gone already. Chiding his foolishness in letting Cleo stay, he could only be grateful for Kristin who might actually get some work done while they were away. He boarded the shuttle and closed the hatch behind him. Whatever occurred on the MEDS station now was out of his hands and he might as well just try to forget about...Did Lucas still have that condom?

The progress in the mine went slowly but steadily after seaQuest had left the area. Despite the fact that there were few points on the station which gave a view of the whale they had come to call home, it still felt much more isolated without the boat's presence alongside. Lucas and Cleo worked silently, occasionally casting longing looks in one another's directions, looks which Kristin pretended not to notice. She couldn't help the smirk of amusement which plastered her face with the memory of youthful love; it had been so long since her own daughter had been through anything similar. Despite Nathan's fears about what might happen when Cleo was forced to leave the base, no one could deny that he had found a wonderful girl in Cleo Walker and a good influence, too.

Dr. Olafsson worked alongside Westphalen, showing her his charts and other paraphernalia which he had gathered since the beginning of the project.  
"This is very impressive paperwork, doctor," Kristin commented as she flicked through his latest offering. "I include myself among the many scientists who are notorious for scribbling illegible notes which no one else can decipher. It is a rare pleasure to see penmanship like this."  
The doctor appeared to blush with her kind words, an effect Kristin had not bargained for. She liked the man but she also hoped he would not take a general word about his files as some kind of invitation to anything more.  
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you know what Wagner was doing if you weren't down here?" Olafsson pushed his glasses up his nose, wrinkling his forehead as he did so, making himself look even more like some kind of burrowing, underground animal.  
"Oh, he tried to enlist my help on it when I told him 'no'. I knew him well enough to see he'd be headstrong and capable enough to ignore me. I don't think he ever believed that I would disagree with him or draw a line...but I care deeply for the environment."  
He chuckled without humour. "Why else would I enter this particular line of work?!"  
Kristin returned the smile while scrutinizing his face further. His skin had the kind of smooth texture which always looked pasty and ill and which was disconcerting in its expressionless tone. There were no lines to denote whether he was a man who smiled or frowned a great deal and this somehow made his face seem untrustworthy. It was like a perfectly formed mask, finely worked to obscure any of the man's true emotions...except perhaps for response to flattery.

Working long into the night, Kristin eventually felt it was her duty to call everything to a halt so they could sleep and start afresh the next day. From the amount of ground they had covered in the hours since seaQuest's departure, two days would be plenty of time to come to a concrete conclusion as to what exactly Wagner had done. Ben Krieg had been playing the clown for hours, trying to distract Lucas and get some sneaky hacking tips for a new pornography site before finally giving up. The sudden blossoming of romance had made Lucas a dull playmate and very lack lustre in the antics department. In a last ditch effort to do something fun, he had even approached Kristin only to be firmly put in his place with a few choice words. Having broken a test tube and spilled de-ionised water all over Lucas' results, Dr. Westphalen assigned Ben the task of trying to retrieve Wagner's records of his work from his study.

He returned from this endeavour just as the group were packing up for the evening, a plastic bag in his hand which he plonked unceremoniously on the table in front of Kristin. "Whatever our guy was up to, he didn't want us making anything of it. This is all I could find."  
Olafsson peered into the bag and pulled out a few charred scraps of paper to show the interested crowd. He stated, "I am not surprised. He has always been a thorough man."  
Lucas moved over to the table and inspected the bag's contents for himself, a frown creasing his forehead. "Why would he do that? I mean, if you had created something as progressive as an electromagnetic, semi-organic rock, why would you destroy all your work?"  
Kristin looked sadly at the remains of what might have been the key to everything they were working hard to discover in this damned cave.  
"I suppose because he didn't want anybody else taking the credit. If he can't be master of it himself, no one will."  
Cleo sidled up alongside Lucas and queried, "But even if he was arrested, couldn't Dr. Wagner still be credited as the polychromatite's creator?"  
Kristin shrugged and sighed, "I'm not sure, possibly...but it is also quite possible that the finds would be subsumed into the UEO's science departments and eventually their name would be attached to the project instead." At this, Dr. Olafsson grunted loudly, prompting everyone to look in his direction.  
"Eric Wagner was never the sharpest pencil in the box."  
Krieg raised his eyebrows, sceptically. "Well, he managed to create all this." He waved a hand nonchalantly around the cave which, despite the overhead rigged lighting, still glowed with the ethereal colours of the living cliff face.  
Olafsson cast a distasteful glare at the offending structure. "Hmm, perhaps I was a little harsh. What I meant to say is that he had no head for business. He was so caught up in the bubble of his own mind that he failed to see the bigger picture. His image of accomplishment was anonymous funding which he was never answerable to followed by a massive unveiling and mountains of untaxed cash poured into his bank account."  
Kristin noted, glumly, "Scientists are idealists...but there are limits to the value of idealism."  
Lucas said nothing. Although he knew the words were not directed at him, they had resonance for his exact position. After all, wasn't idealism exactly what was driving him with Cleo? He was wrapped up in some fantastical idea of what they could do and how they could be if they just had the opportunity, but if he gave it any amount of thought, the reality was never going to be as pretty. The mental pictures he had created of going to the cinema or going on holiday together, even just driving down the freeway with the wind in his hair was a distorted image of how he knew it would really be. It was like when you got a picture of what someone's house looked like - a bungalow with a red roof, and it didn't matter how many times this friend talked about having to run up and down stairs or birds nesting in the thatched roof, you couldn't shake the picture you already had of a bungalow. Well, that was kind of how it was with Cleo. Okay, so going to the cinema was a pretty normal, average occupation for two young people, but the unfortunate thing was that Lucas' image involved a soundtrack to their life, their song playing as they kissed, the sun setting like gold as they sailed along the highway in his red Porsche. Nothing he could say or do would alter that image but the harsh reality harboured in the other side of his brain was telling him that such a moment didn't exist.  
Trying to shove these unwelcome thoughts aside, Lucas tossed a piece of paper back into the bag. "Yeah, well, whichever way you look at it, we've got a lot of work to do."  
Kristin suddenly noticed the dark rings circling his unusually dull eyes and the sallow pallor to his complexion. They were all incredibly tired, working on adrenaline for over a day, but now everyone was flagging and Lucas seemed to be bearing the brunt of it. He had been contesting with his friends' disapproving looks, trying to reassure Cleo, discover what this rock was for, not to mention beating himself up over the whole incident in the first place.  
"Let's call it a day for now, shall we? Get a good night's rest and pick up again tomorrow."  
Dr. Olafsson made no protests and bade goodnight with surprising politeness. Krieg tapped Lucas lightly on the shoulder, "Hey kid, don't use up all your energy, if you know what I mean."  
His eyes twinkled in the direction of Cleo, who was already yawning. Lucas rolled his eyes, "I don't think anyone's going to be doing much of anything tonight, Ben. There's no danger of that."

When the two were alone, Cleo and Lucas were suddenly plunged into an uncomfortable silence. This wasn't exactly how this whole scenario had been planned, it was fraught with a lot more tension than either had hoped for. It felt like aeons since they had met, even though it had only been a couple of days. Cleo looked around the room, scattered with the debris of many long hours of work.  
"Who would have thought it would turn out this way?"  
Lucas had been looking forward to spending some time with Cleo all day but now the only thing he could think about was sleep. He was having trouble even keeping his eyes open and he yawned, "It'll all be over soon."  
He looked over at her expectant face but he just couldn't muster up the energy to do or say anything much. The only comfort was seeing that Cleo didn't look much better so hopefully she wouldn't notice how lack lustre he had become. She crossed over to him and leaned down to where he was sitting at the work bench, cupping the back of his neck in her hand. Holding his tired gaze for a moment, she kissed him gently on the lips.  
"You're the only thing that makes sense to me right now, who makes me feel normal."  
Without waiting for a response, she headed towards the door, "Goodnight, Lucas."  
Despite his lethargy, Lucas was surprised by his own reaction to that final gesture.  
Seeing her leave forced something deep inside him to click like the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle. It was like a kind of resignation, a deep-seated knowledge that whatever passed between them here or how intense it all felt, was doomed never to leave this place. It wasn't that he didn't love Cleo, but it was more like those couples who survive some terrible ordeal and then end up characterized in a TV movie. More often than not, the end of the film would zoom in on a nice close-up of the happy pair, rescued from the frozen mountain top with nothing more than some simulated frostbite. Then, just before the credits roll, came the caption explaining where their true life counterparts are now. No matter how content they were before or how much in love they still might be, they always broke up. It was as if living through something so extreme together made them unable to move past it with one another. True, Lucas had never suffered through the same horrors which Cleo must have experienced when she was stranded on the depot, but the fact that he was now supporting her through it condemned their relationship. However much Cleo needed him right now, when this was all over, when they had seen the world and put some light back into her eyes, the fire in their hearts would be quelled. They would love each other forever but nothing more could come of it. Lucas could feel it already. The emptiness of this cave with all its signs of recent human activity and the promise of success calmed him and it had calmed Cleo. In the place of all the turmoil was a kind of renewed contentment which, if they had been less sleep deprived, would have blossomed into passion. That would last until they had travelled around the globe, explored everything they had longed to see and their curiosity had been sated. Then, what would be left? Lucas couldn't imagine it...perhaps because there was nothing there to be imagined.  
Trudging tiredly back to his room, he flung himself down on the bed, not bothering to get changed or even take off his shoes. Within seconds, he was fast asleep.

Kristin was just finishing up a rather unappetizing breakfast of powdered eggs and a product she was assured was actually genuine toasted bread. The food on the station made seaQuest's menu look like a gourmet meal at The Ritz; however, she was not wont to complain and they would only be staying for two more days. Ben stumbled into the canteen as the doctor swallowed her last mouthful of toast, looking much the worse for wear. He grabbed a plate of food from the selection which Cleo had put out for them all and sat down heavily beside Kristin. "You look like you could use another day in bed," she pointed out.  
Krieg gave her a withering look, "Really? Well, perhaps that has something to do with the brass band sleeping habits of our friend, Dr. Olafsson. I swear, you'd never know these walls were solid steel." Kristin stifled a grin. Ben wasn't exactly renowned for his own mouse-like sleeping either; perhaps this was exactly what he needed to finally do something about it. It was strange to think that someone who had graduated top in his class at the academy still hadn't worked out why he had been assigned so many different room mates over the numerous months at sea. No one could stand to sleep in the same room as him for long before their sanity gave way and they were forced to go and complain. Still, Ben was clearly suffering now, so Kristin thought it best not to say anything which might aggravate the situation.  
"Speaking of which, where is the doctor? I was hoping to discuss a few points over breakfast."  
Ben pulled a face as he shovelled a mouthful of some unidentified consumable into his mouth. "God knows, but he certainly got up early. I was awake the whole night waiting for it."  
At that moment, Cleo approached the table and poured the pair a cup of coffee each. "I heard him in the cave this morning, I suppose he just wanted to get started early. Where's Lucas?"  
Kristin savoured the sip of coffee, allowing it to neutralize the unhealthy feeling of all that reconstituted powder stuff making its way steadily to block up her digestive system.  
"I haven't seen him yet this morning. I'll go and find him."  
She got to her feet, muttering, "I hope Olafsson doesn't fiddle with my results. I left everything exactly how I wanted it last night." Striding towards the door with a determined expression on her face, Kristin decided to check on her work before looking in on Lucas.

The cave seemed to be deserted when Kristin stepped inside and switched on the spotlights. The glow of the rock altered so frequently, one never knew when you might be plunged into darkness while it took on some new dimension or characteristic. "Dr. Olafsson?" She called into the gloom at the dark rock face near the back of the mine. A scuttle and sudden shifting movement out of the corner of her eye alerted Kristin to the doctor who was hunched over a cathodulominescence meter. He looked up at her with startled eyes, "Dr. Westphalen?! You surprised me. I was absorbed in...my work."  
He gestured to the meter, jotted down a reading and flicked the switch off. "Are you starting work?" Kristin peered over to her work station and was heartened to find that nothing had been moved, and smiled at Olafsson, graciously. "In a little while, yes. I'm just going to chase up our resident genius." Olafsson removed his glasses with a kind of feline grace and rubbed absently at his eyes. "Ah, yes, young Mr. Wolenczak. I hope he doesn't mind, but I took a look at his discoveries earlier. I am very grateful to have him here. He will save us much time, I think."  
Kristin laughed, her voice echoing around the cavernous mine. "Perhaps, when his mind isn't occupied elsewhere."  
"Of course, young Miss Walker. Romance is a beautiful thing, is it not, Dr. Westphalen?"  
Kristin wasn't entirely sure how to react to that statement. It had been a long time since anyone had attempted seduction of any kind in her presence. Most of her potential boyfriends were as straightforward as she was and it was unsettling to be suddenly confronted with a man who was as practised in the art of love as a rose seller on the Grand Canal in Venice.  
"I'll, uh,...just go and find Lucas." She made for the door, stumbling over a few boxes on the way and exiting into the well-lit, public hallway with a sharp breath of relief.

"Lucas?"  
Kristin banged once on the teenager's door, lightly, hoping she wasn't actually waking him up, more hurrying him along. There was no answer and she knocked again. When she had waited a sufficient amount of time, Westphalen pushed open the door to see the boy curled up with his back towards the wall and one hand flung out towards the small desk. She approached him quietly, suddenly losing all will to shake him awake or be noisy. Seeing Lucas lying there so peacefully made her aware of how much the incidents of the past few days must have taken their toll on him. Nathan had mentioned only in passing that the boy's father had called him and the events which had taken place since the UEO's arrival on the MEDS station had shaken him up quite badly. It was somewhat disconcerting how easily Lucas seemed to be able to cover up his feelings these days or at least suppress them to a frightening extent. He was so sensitive but, when he chose to, he could be a wall of passivity. Kristin felt a wash of maternal instincts mount in a wave over her as she gently knelt down beside the bed and smoothed Lucas' hair away from face. His even breathing quickened a little and he shifted comfortably on the bed, still nowhere near to wakening.  
"Lucas," Kristin whispered, not wanting to startle him. "Wakey, wakey."  
A second later, his eyes snapped open, gazing intently up at her for a second as he assessed what was going on. He rubbed one hand over his eyes and sat up quickly. "What's the matter? Is something wrong?"  
"No, nothing's wrong. It's after nine o'clock and we've still got a lot of work to get through." Lucas stared at her with bleary eyes, prompting her to add, "Don't worry. You'll have plenty of time to rest when we get back to seaQuest. I'll make sure of it." Lucas was going to protest that he wasn't really tired at all but even he couldn't stretch a fib that far and, besides, Kristin was almost out of the door by the time his voice was up to vocalizing anything anyway.

He dressed hurriedly, grabbing a breakfast bar from the canteen on his way down to the mine where the others were already assembled. Ben had finally found something worthwhile to do with his time, colour coding various rock samples as Kristin handed them to him. Hopefully, he wouldn't be able to muck that up, although Lucas couldn't help smiling when he noticed how Dr. Westphalen watched the lieutenant from under a hooded brow. She never could delegate to people outside of her profession; she suffered from a suspicious mind in that department, something Lucas could easily relate to. He never quite trusted anything to be done right unless he had done it himself, plus having Ben as your worker was hardly much to inspire confidence.

Lucas shuffled over to his work area, sighing as he perused last night's efforts at coherent thought. He was going to have to redo half of his work because he barely remembered carrying out the tests he had painstakingly noted down and he couldn't make head nor tail of the Post-It note he had scrawled and left on a half-filled test tube. He was just starting to reorganize his notes, scrunching the paper into balls and throwing them to one side, when Cleo came over, beaming. "Good morning, sleepy head." He smiled and quickly scanned the room to make sure no one was watching them before leaning over and kissing her. "Morning."  
"Whatcha doing today?" Lucas waved a hand in a grandiose gesture over the disarray of equipment at the table. "I can't believe the rubbish I wrote last night. I have no idea what half of this stuff means and I wrote it! So, today I'm going to try and remember what my split personality got up to while the rest of me was sleeping on the job."  
Cleo laughed, "Need any help?"  
Lucas looked at her carefully, his eyes tracing over the sweet and gentle contours of her face. God, she was beautiful. "I wish I could say yes, but I think this is a one man job and I don't think Dr. Westphalen would approve of us working together so closely."  
Cleo looked over at the doctor just in time to see her cast an interested gaze in their general direction before quickly averting it again. "Mmm, just in case we start getting ideas about wild orgies or something."  
Lucas looked at her, startled, but it rapidly turned to amusement when he saw a bright flush of colour rush to her cheeks in embarrassment. She cleared her throat and stood up straighter, "Well, I'll leave you to it then." Lucas caught her hand just before Cleo could turn away, his face suddenly more serious. "We'll have some more time together later. I just think..."  
Cleo extricated her hand from his and squeezed it, affectionately. "I know, don't worry about it. We'll have all the time in the world." Kissing his fingers lightly, she fixed him with a last playful look before retreating to where Kristin was working as Lucas tried to get back to work. Just having her nearby but unable to do anything was driving him to distraction. His only comfort was that the quicker he completed his work here, the quicker they could all leave and he could get back to a more normal existence, just with an added bonus.

The work progressed steadily until lunch time but Lucas was finding himself increasingly confused by the results of his tests. At first he had kept quiet about it, assuming it was because he hadn't been concentrating properly the previous day which was now ruining the work. Then, as the morning progressed, the teenager began to wonder if there wasn't more to this than just his own fatigue. No matter which way he looked at it, none of the tests were conclusive with any amount of human tampering. Eventually, he opted for getting a second opinion and called Kristin over to take a look. "Dr. Westphalen, I've gone over the DNA structure of this rock a load of times and it still doesn't make any sense. Look at this." He motioned her over to the microscope and she peered in.  
"What am I looking at? It all looks like tourmaline to me, with all the same characteristics."  
"That's exactly my point. I've studied this from every conceivable angle and yet there is still no sign that this rock has been altered by any human hand. The properties in this rock could only be achieved by immense heat over a period of hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years."  
Kristin looked up at Lucas, her tone bordering on scepticism. "What are you saying?"  
Lucas glanced over at Dr. Olafsson who was eyeing them both with an air of inherent suspicion, and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial level. "Well, what if Dr. Wagner didn't actually do anything at all to this rock? What if it was simply naturally occurring after all?"  
Kristin looked around the cave as if suddenly seeing it again in an entirely new light, her gaze finally coming to rest on Olafsson. She paused, digesting the full implications of this new angle. "I don't understand, why would Wagner do that?"  
Lucas shrugged, "If he only discovered the rock, the Canadian authorities would lay claim to the cliff face. If Wagner declared it his invention, the patent would be his to make profit off the consumer public. He slaps this polychromatite name on it and lets people's ignorance about science do the rest for him."  
Kristin hissed, "But what about his notes? And Dr. Olafsson?" Lucas followed her gaze back to the doctor on the other side of the room who was now ambling over to them. Lucas whispered in Westphalen's ear, "But we never saw his notes. He destroyed them. As for Olafsson..." He widened his blue eyes in a warning gesture, just able to catch Kristin's worried response before the doctor reached their side.  
"Have you made any breakthroughs? Anything you'd like to share?"  
The tone of his voice was casual and jovial but Lucas knew better than to succumb to that charm. If what he believed was true, that Wagner had made all of this up to suit his own materialistic ends, then Olafsson had to be involved. He was covering for him which instantly placed him at the forefront of the group's suspicions. The teenager knew that Kristin wasn't entirely convinced by his half cocked accusation and he could only hope that she didn't dismiss it enough to let something slip to Olafsson. It may be a long shot, especially considering Lucas' problems in focusing lately, but it was worth remembering and certainly worth keeping from Olafsson until they knew something for sure.  
Westphalen rubbed her neck as she often did when she was nervous or didn't want to impart some bad news and shook her head, dismissively. "Oh, just going over a few test results. Lucas had some calculation problems. Nothing we can't handle." She clapped her hands together and pushed the teen towards the door, "Now, who's for some lunch?"  
Dr. Olafsson watched the group file out with bitter malice already filling his veins. He had studied Dr. Westphalen carefully since his arrival and he felt as if he had got the measure of her behaviour. She was acting strangely and even the boy had looked tense. They had found something in the rock to be suspicious of and it didn't take a Wolenczak to figure out that it wouldn't be long before the whole farce was uncovered and he could kiss goodbye to his retirement package in Hawaii. Olafsson's eyes wandered over to the corner of the cave by the door where he had planted some explosives earlier that day. Nobody had seen him, except Westphalen, and she had been too preoccupied with her precious work to notice what he was doing. He could just blow them away with the press of one button and both he and Wagner could get on with the original plan from before the UEO decided to interfere.

He moved over to where the detonator was hidden and ran a sweaty finger over the red button. It only took a second's pressure to set it all off. But wouldn't it be suspicious if Westphalen and the Wolenczak boy survived the bomb and it became clear that it had occurred just after their discovery? No, of course not, because they would not survive. There would be no holes in this plan. They all had to go, the lot of them. It wouldn't be difficult, it just took a moment's courage and a lifetime's acting practice to pull this thing off.

He headed to the canteen, preparing to enjoy a seemingly normal afternoon with the seaQuest crew. He would join in their jokes and make small talk with them because, within a few short hours, they would all be dead.


	6. Out Of The Blue - Part 6

OUT OF THE BLUE (PART 6)

By Allegra

See Part One for disclaimers etc.

Lucas and Cleo had retreated to the most private corner of the canteen, ignoring Krieg's leering grins in their general direction. Kristin had been trying to keep the lieutenant on a short rein since that morning and it was proving to be a full time job.  
"Ben, leave them. Goodness knows they could do with a break from watchful eyes."  
Ben dipped his spoon into the unappetizing mush which had been labelled ice cream some time in the last decade and cast her an innocent look, "I can't help it. They're just so..." He made a nonchalant wave with his free hand, trying to conjure up the appropriate words, ending in, "...cute."  
Kristin raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I wouldn't let Lucas hear you say that if I were you."  
"Oh, come on, Kristin. Don't tell me you don't agree with me. Just look at them."  
Kristin followed his gaze to where the two teenagers were huddled, laughing about some joke or other, their hands intertwined in an innocently romantic gesture.  
"Well, I don't think I'd adopt your vocabulary but they do look sweet together."  
"Somehow I don't think sweet rates much higher than cute on the Lucas-o-meter."  
Kristin's grin quickly fell as she saw Dr. Olafsson enter, wandering over to the stack of meals prepared and left on the sideboard. Krieg craned his neck over his shoulder and quickly turned back to his friend.  
"Oh, great. Just what I was looking forward to, being the filling in a double science whammy. Excuse me, I think I'd rather be labelling rock samples."  
He started from his seat before Kristin pulled him back down. "Don't be ridiculous. I promise not to talk shop. In fact, that's the last thing I want to do."  
Krieg shrugged and obliged. "Do I detect a note or urgency in your voice, doctor? Could it be that you don't want to be left alone with the gorgeous, sexy Emory Olafsson?"  
Kristin sent a smouldering look in his direction as Olafsson began to make his way over to their table. "Once again your male intuition is completely redundant. I'd get another hobby if I were you."  
Krieg adopted his most hurt expression and gasped, "I'm offended. Well, tell me my intuition is wrong about you giving me the most lame ass job on the station. Come on, Kristin, even I know that rock labelling is about as helpful as washing up test tubes."  
Kristin didn't have a chance to respond before Dr. Olafsson reached the table and sat down tentatively beside her. "May I sit with you?"  
Kristin smiled, graciously, but Ben decided to answer on her behalf. "Sure, take a seat. I'm just finishing up here." He shot his companion a You can thank me later look before ducking out of the room.  
Kristin made a mental note to think up a suitable revenge sequence later on and turned back to Olafsson just in time to catch his cold, grey eyes flitting away from where they had been scrutinizing her face. "So, doctor, I expect you'll be glad to get back to Anchorage as soon as we have finished up here."  
He took a sip of his water and eyed her over the top of the glass, his gaze disconcertingly penetrating. "Eager to be rid of me, Dr. Westphalen?"  
"Of course not. I'm hoping we will all leave together. I, for one, will be greatly looking forward to getting back to the seaQuest."  
"Surely the UEO will not leave until they are certain of what Dr. Wagner was up to here. I find it hard to believe that Captain Bridger would turn his back on a station full of so many uncertainties. Who knows what dangers there might be hidden here?"  
His voice dropped to a sinister level, a gravely edge entering his tone. Kristin felt unsettled by his strange behaviour, especially considering the seed of doubt which Lucas had planted in her mind barely fifteen minutes ago.  
She made a valiant attempt at casual, "No, but I think we are making quick progress and I can't find any evidence of any hazardous materials. As long as we can do a quick clean up job on the immediate area surrounding the base, I'm sure the UEO will simply shut it down for a while."  
Her eyes wandered anxiously over to where Lucas and Cleo were sitting and she was met with the concerned gaze of the teen over his girlfriend's shoulder. Cleo was in full animation, telling some story or other, but Lucas' eyes were fixed firmly on his friend and Dr. Olafsson on the other side of the canteen. Whatever passed between them only served to solidify their joint belief that the man had something to hide. It was going to take time but they would find out, no matter what.

Westphalen's darting glance in Wolenczak's direction did not go unnoticed by Olafsson and he found a perverse satisfaction in seeing the fear clearly imprinted in her fretted face. It was somehow very liberating to see their suspicious minds working over time to try and discover his motives and plans, able to play their petty games while all the time knowing that he would kill them before they discovered anything worth their while. They were all going to die at his hands and that knowledge sent his mind reeling in possibilities of what he could do with them. He could torture them one by one, inflict the kind of grotesque pain and suffering most could barely imagine before blowing up their mutilated bodies and no one would be any the wiser. Barely concealing the sly smile spreading across his thin lips, Emory Olafsson sat back in his chair and tucked into his sandwiches with great relish. Power truly was the most effective drug.

Dr. Olafsson returned to his room shortly after lunch, claiming to need some of his own equipment for drawing up graphs. He needed to round the team up, make sure they were safely inside the mine area before he set his plan into action. Unfortunately, this included the two sentry soldiers so kindly provided as an impediment by Commander Ford. Both were big stocky men who paraded around the active section of the station with a regal, snobbish air which Olafsson found disgusting. He would enjoy getting rid of them, although their deaths were simply a means to an end. He pondered this for a moment, wondering how he would get them and where. It was strange the effect a naval rank had on a man's perspective; since they were nothing more than crew men, hired lugs, their worth as people was suddenly called into question. It didn't matter that they had brains, might be hoping to make lieutenant or even captain one day, because right now they were the lowest of the low, the men who were expected to die in the line of duty without a tear shed on their behalf.  
Emory lingered on this thought; it was one of the myriad reasons why he had decided never to join the navy. Every man was worth something, every man deserved a chance to live. Now was his chance and anyone who threatened to get in his way had to go. It was the way this world worked. He and Wagner had found that rock all by themselves, they had studied the geology charts and taken samples from deep within the Earth's crust up on Anchorage for years. Finally, they had found what they had been looking for, what they had hardly dared to hope existed after so many setbacks.

Olafsson snarled inwardly at the sudden and unwelcome intrusion of the UEO in their world. Corporate big-wigs had no right to waltz in here with their empty talk of peace keeping and mutual profit. It was about time someone pulled them down a peg or two, got one over on them while there was still a chance. Instilled with renewed passion, Emory opened the drawer to Wagner's desk, secretly praising himself for managing to secure his old friend's office as a private working space. He fumbled around inside, roughly pulling documents and pencils out right, left and centre. Where was it? Wagner had told him it was here, that he had barely used any...so where was it?

His hand caught onto a corner of plastic on the underside of the drawer and, with a gasp of delight, he pulled out the packet containing the same strange powder Wagner had been using only a day earlier. Hastily, with as much self control as his adrenaline-charged body would allow, he emptied the remaining powder into an empty glass before rummaging around for some kind of drink. He retrieved a bottle of whiskey and eyed it for a moment, wondering if alcohol was such a good idea at a time like this. No one, to his knowledge, had used the rock powder under such circumstances...but there was no time for experiments. He needed to get out there and destroy those people before they destroyed him and took his life's work away in one fell swoop. He poured a liberal amount of whiskey onto the powder and stirred it vigorously with the end of Wagner's fountain pen before knocking the potent liquid back in two huge gulps. He let out a sharp breath as the fiery mixture burned down his throat on a mission to his nervous system. Standing up, Olafsson straightened his tie, smoothed a few stray hairs on his head back into place behind his ear and smartened himself up in the mirror before stepping out into the hallway.

Fortunately for the doctor, Wagner's office was in a more secluded area of the station, which made it quiet and unlikely for any of Bridger's UEO people to be wandering around. Besides, they were all happily holed up in his sacred mine, plucking apart all his hard work with their nasty little theories and good intentions. Olafsson caught sight of one of the guards rounding the corner towards him and the doctor moved to meet him halfway along. The soldier smiled and the doctor returned it with uncharacteristic vigour before reaching up his left hand in one rapid, fluid movement and caught the man's neck in a vice-like grip. Squeezing with moderate might, he watched the soldier's face began to redden, a stifled choke emanating from his gaping mouth as his eyes widened in terror. Olafsson ignored the silent pleads for mercy. He was not a killer and the small part of his brain which had eluded the effects of Wagner's polychromatite drug was still a human being, aware of the torture he was inflicting and sorry for the life he was taking. However, the rest of his body was caught in the snare of chemically induced violence and it dominated every muscle and coursed through his veins with a vengeance. A moment later, the man's body slumped in Olafsson's arm and the doctor quickly dragged the body towards one of the incinerator rooms. This was the best way for them to go, the most humanitarian - fish food for the newly engineered predators of the ocean. As he stuffed the body in, Olafsson caught sight of the soldier's PAL used to communicate with the other UEO man parading the station. Adopting an urgent tone, Olafsson sent out an alert to the second soldier and sat back to wait for his next piece of prey to arrive. One down, one big explosion to go.

Lucas, Krieg, Cleo and Kristin were huddled in the far back corner of the mine as Lucas filled them in on his finds, all the while keeping one eye on the entrance in the hope that Olafsson wouldn't come back any time soon. "I'm not sure that Dr. Olafsson's actually on our side at all. He's been working with Wagner for years and then suddenly, just as the UEO arrive, he appears with useful information and offers to help us. I reckon he and Wagner are playing us for fools here."  
Krieg whispered, loudly, "Yeah, but Lucas, he's not doing anything here. How can he be playing with us? He hasn't come up with a single piece of useful information since seaQuest left the area. I'd agree with you if he was bandying stuff around, trying to make us take the bait, but he hasn't. He's done squat!"  
Lucas' eyes were piercing and bright, full of fired enthusiasm for his work. "Maybe he's just biding his time. All I know is that no matter what I do to these rock samples, there is nothing here which could have been the result of any kind of experiment."  
Cleo looked puzzled, "What do you mean?"  
"All the rock samples I've tested here have to be naturally occurring. It would be impossible for their properties to have been fused or linked into the rock within the time frame Wagner and Olafsson are stating." Krieg rolled his eyes around the mine, suddenly concerned about the stability of this place. A few minutes ago, he had been certain they were at the end of the project, but now who knew what might happen next?  
Nudging Lucas, he asked, "So, what are you saying? That this rock is naturally occurring?! Look at it, Lucas! It's glowing...it's got to be man made. No terrestrial rock behave like this, even I know that!"  
Kristin and Cleo stared at him, wide-eyed, prompting him to protest, "And don't try to tell me it's from outer space because..."  
Lucas raised a hand to silence everyone. "No, it's not extra-terrestrial, Ben. All it's properties fit in with other rock species on Earth, it's just a different combination."  
He was about to explain further when there was a hollow groan from somewhere on the base, and the group listened in silence with bated breath.  
Krieg muttered, "What the hell was that?"  
Kristin opened her mouth to answer just as another groan could be heard, followed by the most God almighty cracking sound as small grains of rock sprinkled onto them from overhead. Krieg and Kristin stood up and started backing towards the entrance, the doctor's hand reaching towards Lucas to draw him back.  
"Lucas! Cleo!" She hissed, but both teenagers were staring up at the crack slowly forming above their heads. Lucas' face was a mixture of horror and fascination but it quickly turned to alert agility as he pulled Cleo back towards the door with him.  
"Come on, we'd better get out of here."  
Cleo gripped his hand tightly and they had almost reached the door when another crack formed above their heads near the cave entrance.  
Suddenly, Cleo tore herself away from Lucas, "Your notes!"  
She raced towards the back of the cave, ignoring the protesting shouts of the others, just as the crack widened and the steady creaking was replaced with a crash as the rock making up the ceiling began to collapse.  
"Cleo! Get out! Cleo!"  
Lucas took a step towards her but was staid by Ben and Kristin's firm grip. "Get off me!"  
How dare they try to stop him when Cleo needed his help.  
He yanked himself free of his friends and started after his girlfriend, but a shower of rock assailed him and he choked on the dust. Lucas was barely able to see through the haze again when the rock face gave a final groan and caved in. "Cleo!"  
In a blind panic, all the boy knew was that he had to get to her, had to protect her from this. Covering the distance between them, he caught sight of her frightened face, still clutching his notes to her chest as a huge chunk of rock buried her in a pile of dust and debris.  
"No! Cleo! Hang o...!"  
Lucas' words were choked up in the noise and dust, his throat burning as he spluttered and coughed and his breath came in ragged gasps as his body tried to find pockets of oxygen somewhere in the circulating dust and toxins. He could dimly hear the warning shouts of Kristin and Krieg but, as he turned back, Lucas was confronted with a wall of rock separating them, locking him into the back section of the cave with Cleo. His hands fumbled over the rocks littering the floor, cutting his skin on the sharp edges but his mind was oblivious to anything except finding his girlfriend. In his grim determination, it barely registered on him that there was danger as some more sections of rock gave way above his head and collapsed, pinning him to the ground. Then, there was nothing.

Kristin had been flung to the ground as the stones tumbled haphazardly all around her but somehow avoided her body entirely. Krieg bent over her, his body shielding her from the majority of debris but there was little they could do beyond waiting it out until the collapse came to a halt. After what felt like an age, all rumbling and cracking ceased and the cave settled into silence except for the occasional disruption as a few more small stones dislodged themselves or a pile of dust shifted in the small space. Krieg slowly straightened up, fumbling in his jump suit pocket for a torch as he helped Kristin up with his free hand.  
"Are you okay?"  
Kristin wiped at the dust on her clothes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her jumping nerves. "I think so."  
Ben managed to find his torch and switched it on, sending a feeble ray of yellow light arching around the small space left to move around in. "My God."  
The swirling dust and flying rocks had obliterated almost everything from view before and the pair had been given no option but to stay in one place and wait it out. Now, they could clearly see the result of the cliff's sudden slide. They were boxed in by layers of rock, the entrance was barred by enormous boulders which would take thirty men to lift them but, more importantly, they were separated from Lucas and Cleo by a wall of rock which had once been part of the ceiling of the mine.

As Ben shone the torch dimly over the barrier, they both searched for some kind of hole, anything which gave them a glimpse through into the other side of the chamber.  
"Lucas!" Kristin called, waiting anxiously for some kind of response, something which would prove to her that he was all right. There was no answer and she called again with Ben joining in. Still no answer. Krieg tried to suppress his rising panic; he didn't want to think about what they might find on the other side.  
"Maybe they can't hear us. Who knows how thick this is?"  
He pushed against one of the closest rocks as if to illustrate his point. Kristin stood back, her eyes filled with fear and determination as they wildly surveyed the offending barrier between her and Lucas. Suddenly, she stabbed a finger towards the left edge of rock.  
"I think this looks like the weakest point. Let's start digging."  
Ben looked at her in surprise and didn't move an inch to help her as the doctor began pulling some of the smaller rocks away. She looked up, indignantly, "Well, come on, Ben! Help me!"  
"Kristin, there could be another hundred boulders the size of Everest on the other side of this rock. Who knows where the weakest point is?"  
Her voice betrayed her exasperation and worry as she snapped, "Does it really matter? Lucas is trapped behind there and we've got to start somewhere. I'm not waiting here until we've made some technical assessment. I want him out of there now!"  
Ben knew better than to argue and, besides, he knew she was right. It wouldn't be long before one of the soldiers parading round the station came running, in fact they were probably already on the emergency radio. Right now, all they could do was try to save the two teenagers trapped alive in that tomb. Scrambling over to where Kristin was madly pulling away small rocks, Ben squeezed in alongside her and reached for a larger boulder. "Here, give me a hand."

On the other side of the rock face, Lucas was somewhere between painful consciousness and blissful darkness and as his mind swam groggily in this semi-waking state, he was vaguely aware that this was not just any old sleep. Something was different, something had happened but his addled brain couldn't seem to make head or tails of it all. Then, it dimly registered on him that there was something heavy pressing down on him, something leaden against his leg and the boy knew that he had no other option than to try and find out what it was.

Slowly, he forced his eyes open, squinting into the darkness then squeezing them closed as flakes of dust swirled down onto his face. He tried to turn his head to one side in order to get out of the way of this unwelcome dirt storm but he was rewarded with a sharp pain running from temple to temple. He let out a feeble groan, and then the memories started to come flooding back. He remembered the ground shaking beneath his feet, the ceiling caving in, but his heart suddenly skipped a beat as he backtracked moments earlier to Cleo running back into the cave for his notes. Lucas felt his stomach turn as the horror of what had happened came sharply into focus in his brain. In the swirling dust, just before the ceiling had collapsed around him, he had seen Cleo fall, pinned beneath heavy rocks. He breathed in deeply, coughing weakly as dust burned down his throat, swallowing his voice into a hoarse whisper, "Cleo! Cleo!"  
There was no reply. The teenager was lying awkwardly on his stomach but he gingerly lifted his head, wincing at the pain which resounded through his skull and down his neck. He had to find her. She might be badly injured and unable to call out...or worse. He couldn't think that, but then again...he didn't think he could get up even if he tried. His head was killing him and Lucas knew he wasn't in very good shape himself. It was only when he tentatively tried to move his leg that he let out a cry of pain and lay back down. His leg was crushed beneath one of the rocks and, when he tried to move his arm, another bolt of pain ran like liquid fire up and down the length of it. Shit, he thought. He wished he could do something, anything, but the darkness surrounded him completely and Lucas had no idea where he was in relation to the entrance of the cave, where the others were, how badly he was hurt or even if he was blind. He croaked, "Kristin? Ben?" There was no answer. He could only hope they had got out in time, but his mind just couldn't hold onto consciousness any longer. With Cleo's image still firmly imprinted on his brain, Lucas found he could struggle no longer and drifted back into the comforting arms of oblivion.

Kristin stopped, placing her hand over Ben's to prevent him moving anything else.  
"Did you hear that?"  
Her whole body was tense and alert, straining her ears through the echoing cave to try and catch hold of whatever had made the noise. "Lucas?" She called again in vain and was answered with only silence. Ben shook his head solemnly and went back to moving rocks. "Come on, let's get as much of this stuff shifted as possible."  
"I'm sure I heard someone moan." Krieg glanced at his watch and tried to hide his concern when Kristin looked in his direction. "What's the matter?" He tried to shrug any concern off, the last thing the doctor needed was another reason to be worried. However, Ben couldn't help the suspicion he had been feeling since the cave-in. While Kristin had been frantic about finding Lucas, a panic which the lieutenant shared, his mind had also been trying to work over the uncanny coincidences involved here. The day they find something resembling proof or at least firm belief that Dr. Olafsson and Wagner were in on this together and didn't want the UEO involved, suddenly there is a structural collapse trapping them all...except Olafsson. If this were true, then it was premeditated and that in itself made it a certainty that the doctor would have considered the two soldiers brought from seaQuest as a threat, too. If he was capable of creating such an effective implosion of rock, then Ben certainly wouldn't put a couple of murders past him either. Even if they got to Lucas and Cleo and managed to pull them out, the chances of them being freed by Olafsson were slim. There was still another day before Captain Bridger returned with the seaQuest and if either of the teenagers were injured, with no medical supplies at all nor any water, the risks to their health were high.  
"Ben, can you give me a hand with this?"  
Krieg moved to where Kristin was struggling and heaved with all his might. The rock dislodged itself with sudden momentum, catching the lieutenant's foot as it rolled to the bottom of the pile they had been making, "Ouch! Jeez, Kristin!"  
He was busy muttering under his breath when the doctor whacked him on the shoulder, "Give me the torch!" She snatched it eagerly from him and waved it at the rock face. Sure enough, there was now a hole about seven inches in diameter shedding light directly into the other pocket of room at the back of the cave. She craned her neck through the hole, waving the torch around the small chamber, "Lucas? Cleo?"  
There was still no answer, but she took a small comfort in the knowledge that there was still a great deal obscuring her vision on the other side to be cleared. Between the two adults, within ten minutes, they had moved away a few of the other, insignificant rocks, making sure that the hole remained secure. "We've got to get in there!"  
Kristin said, urgently. Ben looked around their side of the cave in an effort to find something which might act as a lever or wedge to stick in the hole while they moved some of the smaller rocks around it. He hated to feel so helpless and now that a small hole had been made, the reality that Lucas and Cleo were both trapped in there came hurling home. The silence which met their calls was becoming increasingly alarming and yet there was very little they could do.  
"Damn it! Damn this place!"  
Ben kicked the dirt with his foot, angrily, picking up a handful of small stones and hurling them against the opposite wall with enormous force. He was breathing heavily, angry snorts of frustration, and Kristin paused in her work. She was petrified of what might have happened to Lucas, she pictured him lying buried beneath huge hunks of rock, taking his last breaths without a soul to comfort him, without any hope of survival, but the doctor side of her knew that it was important to look after Ben, too. He wasn't used to being under so much stress, perhaps because he wasn't an easy man to get close to. There were always snide comments or jokes to mask his true feelings, an expression prepared for every occasion, but Lucas had succeeded in penetrating that shell. The teenager had befriended Ben in a way which both amused and puzzled the rest of the crew around them. The friendship they shared went beyond just practical jokes or stupid stunts; it was a mutual support system, finely tuned to their needs. They both accepted the masks offered by one another, knowing that what lay beneath would surface when its owner was ready. Their rules were borne out of the understanding that no questions would be asked and no expectations enforced. Regardless of how annoyed Lucas got with his friend over his constant teasing or how angry Ben got over missing porn disks, the pair would support one another through anything without condition. Now, Ben was faced with losing that friend and, although Kristin knew that he would eventually get over it, that he would go on living just as they all would, Lucas' possible death was already having a profound and negative effect on the lieutenant. Westphalen moved over to him and placed firm, reassuring hands on his arms, "Ben, listen to me. Lucas needs us. He is trapped in there, so is Cleo, and they need us firing on all cylinders if we are going to help them."  
Ben nodded, firmly, but she could see his heart wasn't in it. "I know, I know."  
"Now," She produced a metal rod, "I found this table leg which I need you to help me lever up that rock with. I think we can make a secure opening at ground level without the whole wall collapsing on top of us."  
"Right." Krieg took the table leg and followed Kristin's instructions to the letter, his renewed enthusiasm and determination for the project shining through, much to the doctor's relief.

After another half hour, the hole was nearly large enough for Westphalen to fit through, snugly. With a final check to make sure it wouldn't collapse, she started to climb through.  
"Shine the torch through the other hole and I'll look for Lucas and Cleo."  
Her heart was skipping erratically as she finally pulled her legs through the hole and found herself in the muffled silence of the back cave. Entering Krieg's torch beam, she instructed him to shine it in various spots until it came to rest on something which looked like material.  
"Over here."  
Ben's beam found her as she knelt down and pulled away some of the stones, drawing back suddenly in shock. Krieg's urgent voice came through the hole, "What is it? Kristin?"  
Kristin leaned over the still body and placed a hand against the tender neck, feeling for a pulse. Slowly, she withdrew. "It's Cleo. She's dead."  
Her voice was low and quiet as she glanced back over her shoulder at Ben, the features of his face crude caricatures, nothing more than shadowed indentations in his flesh, but she didn't need to see any more to know what that face portrayed. Her hands lingered over Cleo's, the soft, pale skin of her skin so youthful and still painted with a faint smile. This had been the same girl who had suffered for three years on a depot, mothering four other children, the same dear child whose face had only lit up with the prospect of finding a life with Lucas. She was his future and yet here she was, lifeless and crushed before her life had even begun. Kristin could hardly hold back the tears which prickled behind her eyes, tingling at her nose and sending shivers of grief down her spine. That God could steal someone so young, show them a bright future only to tear it away was like bitter poison in the doctor's veins as her fingers lingered over the still warm flesh. There was nothing she could do for Cleo now but Lucas needed her. He might still be alive under this rubble, he had to be alive.

Krieg's light followed her footsteps as she moved around the small chamber, scrambling over boulders until she stopped short near the wall barring the two sections of cave. Her hand came to rest on something soft. "I've found him. You'll have to bring the light in, I can't see a thing." She heard Ben scuffling and the light disappeared for a moment before reappearing through the hole which Kristin had crawled through. Within a second, he was by her side, and he drew back in shock with what he saw. Lucas was lying on his stomach, one arm twisted painfully beneath him, while his right upper leg was completely hidden by an enormous, jagged piece of rock. His face was turned a little towards them, eyes closed, but Kristin could see a pool of congealing blood beneath his cheek. She quickly recollected herself and checked for a pulse, finally letting out a pent up breath when she found a faint throbbing. Ben sighed, "We've got to get him out of here."

Kristin looked sceptically at the rock pinning the boy to the ground. It was too heavy for either of them to left and the possible further damage they might do to him if they tried wasn't worth contemplating. They could only hope to make Lucas as comfortable as was humanly possible and pray that help arrived soon.

The seaQuest made her way smoothly through the dark waters of the deep sea, heading steadily back to Anchorage. They had expected to be there within ten hours but Nathan Bridger was already champing at the bit to be back there, a concept he would have thought impossible only days earlier. Leaving Kristin and Lucas, two people he cared most about, had been hard and not just because he was afraid for their safety. Part of him had selfish motivations, the desire to have them with him for conversation and for his own peace of mind. Even during the short time that they had been parted, Nathan missed their company. He missed spending the evening with Kristin over a few glasses of wine and he even missed looking in on Lucas to find out what mischief the teenager had got himself into this time. It was ridiculous really because there were times when the captain was very busy and wouldn't see either of them for a couple of days. Yet, it was suddenly insufferable to be without them and Nathan found himself glancing at the clock every half hour or so as if expecting them to suddenly find a portal which would land them at Anchorage within the hour.

"Captain, they're fine." Nathan turned away from the moon pool to see Tim O'Neill standing before him. The lieutenant stepped forward to pet Darwin who was swimming gently around in the water. Bridger forced a smile, "I know. I suppose, if I'm honest with myself, I'm just used to being in control." Tim nodded, mutely. No one dared voice the truth - that Wagner had got to even the best of them and not a single person among his friends would feel comfortable until Kristin, Krieg and Lucas were safely away from the MEDS station. Darwin swam past and emitted a sharp whistle which was instantly interpreted by Lucas' vocorder, "Lucas gone?"  
Bridger leaned a hand down to him and cupped his smooth beak, "No, he'll be back soon, Darwin."  
"Bridger sad?" Nathan managed a short smile, uncertain whether he could convince the dolphin.  
"Not sad, anxious."  
Darwin splashed the water with his beak, "What is anxious?"  
"Anxious is a bit like worry, like when one of your own leaves the pod and you want them back." He turned away from Darwin, not feeling up to answering any more questions. The number of times the dolphin would ask if someone was sad or not, Nathan had to wonder if the creature was sincere or if it wasn't just as habitual as a greeting. Although, the captain had to admit that he was the worst culprit when it came to seeking out Darwin just to pour his heart out and get things off his chest. In fact, Lucas was the only person on board who spent as much time playing with 'fish face' as he did using him as agony aunt. Once again, Bridger had just highlighted another reason why he wanted the boy back right now. It was unsettling leaving him at the MEDS station. It wasn't like dropping him off for a convention or a weekend with his friends, it was still work and dangerous work at that. Nathan sighed, "I design the best damned boat in the water and it still doesn't go fast enough." Tim pulled a sympathetic face, "We'll be there in seven hours, Captain."

Lucas had not awoken since Kristin had found him and she was only too aware of how anxious Ben had been getting. The doctor carefully extricated the teenager's arm from beneath his body, feeling along each joint for signs of further injury or broken bones. She was relieved that there was only minimal swelling which just left his head and leg as the areas of concern. Then, in an effort to get Ben moving and his mind occupied, no matter how morbid the task, she asked him to cover up Cleo's body. If Lucas did wake up any time soon, it would hardly be helpful for him to see his girlfriend lying dead across the other side of the room. Ben had done as he was bid without complaint, but as he leaned down over the still body, eyes half open in a stiff mockery of life, the lieutenant felt his emotions welling uncontrollably. This could so easily have been Lucas, it still could. Only a few short hours ago, Cleo had been alive and well, joking and sorting out their lunches. He couldn't get his head around the fact that she was now gone, she was never coming back, never opening those eyes again. Suddenly, life felt so fragile.  
Krieg's mind began to wander over all the 'might haves' and 'what ifs', unable to let his brain rest on any one thought for longer than a moment. He cast his mind back over the potentially life threatening situations he had found himself in - the Bermuda Triangle, even when Lucas had been thrown from the stinger. How was it possible that he, a fully grown man, had survived countless horrors and this poor girl had been killed without warning, without the prospect of growing up or enjoying her life? A gut-wrenching emptiness filled him as Ben covered her face...but Lucas was alive, badly wounded, but alive, and he needed to be strong for the kid. Cleo was gone. There would be time to grieve later, now he had to focus on doing everything he could to save Lucas from following her to the grave.  
Moving back over to where Kristin was tending to the boy, he asked, "How's he doing?"  
Kristin looked up, miserably. "His breathing is slow and shallow and I can't move him to see his leg or head properly."  
They looked down at the inert figure, so small and fragile beneath the masses of rock crushing his body. Kristin smoothed the blonde hair away from the boy's face, her fingers lingering over his ivory cheek, worryingly hot beneath her touch. She placed a hand on his tender throat and sighed, "His pulse is sluggish and erratic."  
Ben's eyes shone with concern, "Yeah, but he's not dying, right? I mean, he'll be okay."  
The lieutenant knew that he didn't want to see Westphalen's reaction to his question. He only had to look at the frail figure half obscured under the wreckage to know that the kid was far from being okay. Kristin cupped Lucas' face gently in her hands, trying to get a closer look at the damage to the left side of his face without damaging any vertebrae. Krieg was relieved to hear her doctor tone of voice as she said, "It's the blood loss and we need to reach his leg to staunch the flow. Goodness knows what other injuries the boulder might have caused." She looked up at her companion in time to catch his despairing expression and rubbed his back, hoping to provide a little mutual comfort to help them through the long hours ahead. Desperate to find some way to hold the kid in this world, Ben gently picked up the slender hand resting beside the boy's face and rubbed it between his own.

Lucas wasn't quite sure what was going on. He felt strange, kind of numb and there was a dim nagging in the back of his mind which was growing louder and more incessant, a reminder of something he should be doing, a responsibility he had to deal with. But he didn't know where he was and he didn't know how to find out. It was all too much hard work and he felt too weak to focus on it. He was about to let himself sink back into the fog of unconsciousness when Lucas realized there was someone nearby. Someone was holding him here, a hand on his, another on his face. Suddenly, a new emotion flooded his hazed mind, fear that they might go away before he could reach them. He felt alone and struggled weakly against the debilitating fog, reaching up towards throbbing pain.  
"Lucas?"  
Kristin smoothed the boy's hair for the thousandth time, watching in frozen silence as Lucas swallowed weakly and she could see his eyes moving slovenly beneath closed lids. Krieg leaned forward in eager anticipation, squeezing his hand again in a hope to bring him back to them. "Lucas?" Kristin urgently whispered again.  
Weakly, the boy's hand responded in Krieg's, his fingers twitching slowly to life. His breathing quickened a little as he opened glazed blue eyes, looking blankly into the gloom surrounding him. The light was so dim and Lucas couldn't tell if it was his failing sight or just the room he was in. A disembodied voice queried, urgently, "Lucas, can you hear me?"  
The boy opened his mouth to respond, trying to form the questions which were piecing themselves together in the depths, but his voice failed him. "Mmm..." He could hear a comforting, soothing voice but his brain just couldn't send the messages round his body quickly enough and his throat felt like someone had poured acid down it. He knew he recognized the people beside him but his brain stumbled falteringly over names and context.  
Kristin ran a hand down the boy's soft cheek, murmuring words of encouragement in a hope that Lucas might open his eyes fully and focus on her. "Sweetheart, open your eyes for me. That's it." He responded sluggishly to her pleads, his brow creasing into a frown as he tried to solidify the blurry figures beside him. His face hurt like hell, his cheek pressed painfully into the cave floor. With difficulty, he eventually made out Ben's face and then Kristin's, their images opening the mental floodgates on everything which had happened. He extricated his hand from Krieg's, feebly attempting to push himself up, unaware of his leg prohibiting any movement. "Cleo?" His vocal chords refused to oblige and neither would his body which responded to his urgency with all the vigour of someone slicing every nerve with a machete. His arms could not support him and Lucas drew in a sharp breath as Kristin eased him back down. He did not protest, weakened by blood loss and pain, it was all the boy could do to hear what the doctor was saying over the throbbing in his head. "Lucas, listen to me. You have to stay still."  
Lucas' breath came in ragged gasps, "It hurts."  
Ben was so relieved that Kristin was there to soothe the teenager; he might be morale officer but the lieutenant hadn't a clue about what might comfort someone whose leg was completely buried beneath layers of heavy rock with possibly hours of agony ahead of him. Kristin cast a fleeting glance in his direction, the only indication of her true fears, as her voice maintained its maternal, comforting tone. "I know it does but we don't have anything to give you right now." She could tell from the boy's face that he was trying hard to control the searing agony attacking his nervous system and his blue eyes pleaded for mercy from the pain. Kristin couldn't dull the discomfort but hopefully she could assure him that help would be here soon. "Sweetheart, your leg is trapped, but seaQuest will be here soon and we'll get you fixed up in no time."  
She was growing increasingly concerned by the boy's laboured breathing and it was obvious that he was becoming agitated. Lifting his head again, Lucas mumbled, "Cleo. I need to find Cleo."  
Kristin tried to ease him back down again but he grabbed her hand with inordinate strength, imploring her again. His skin was sweaty and clammy beneath the doctor's and she gently squeezed it. "Lucas, listen to me."  
He was urgently scanning the darkness around them, struggling against the rock pinning him in one place, fighting nausea and pain at the same time. Kristin turned his face to look at her, forcing him to listen carefully. "Lucas, listen!"  
He slowly gave in to her and she gently withdrew her hand, "The more you move, the more damage you'll do to yourself. You must lie still until help arrives."  
"Cleo..." Kristin had been so caught up in the events of the past few hours that she had barely considered what she would have to tell Lucas about his girlfriend. In such a weakened state, it was common for patients to enter a state of depression, and telling him the truth was the not the best option at this point. He needed to concentrate on getting himself well and out from under the rubble, not grieving and wishing himself dead in her place. However, Westphalen had an inherent sense of the right thing to do and she caught Ben's desperate stare in her direction.  
"Cleo suffered a blow to the head."  
Lucas paused for a moment, stunned, before his face fell into a mask of fear, "Can I see her?"  
It was a heartbreaking sight to see this broken child enduring so much while the onlookers were helpless to do anything to alleviate his suffering. "No, I don't want to move her."  
Hoping to take his mind off the subject, Kristin peeled away the outer jacket she had been fortunate enough to be wearing and laid it gently under the boy's head, being careful just to provide comfort and not force his neck into an awkward position. Lucas moaned weakly as a new wave of nausea flooded through his head. He appreciated that the doctor was only trying to help but he had just started taking her advice about not moving and the new pillow was hardly an improvement. He felt as if someone had smashed a baseball bat repeatedly into the side of his skull and the throbbing pain constantly bored into him, refusing to let him rest. He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on Westphalen's hands tentatively assessing the wounds she could see and occasionally stroking his hair away from his face in a casual attempt at checking his temperature. On any other occasion, Lucas might have tried to play the tough guy and ward off any kind of attention, but he decided this situation warranted special treatment. Besides, it took too much vital energy to protest and somehow, somewhere in all this, his concern for Cleo fell away. It wasn't because he didn't care but he just felt so dozy and nothing seemed to worry him at all, not even what was happening to his leg which he could barely feel beneath the huge weight on it. Dimly, in a detached part of his brain, he wondered if perhaps his leg wasn't there at all anymore.  
Ben watched in anxious silence as Lucas' tired eyes drifted closed before Dr. Westphalen adopted a sharper tone of voice and forced him to keep them open. God knew how much damage lay beyond their reach under the rock but it was a full time occupation simply keeping the boy from falling into a sleep he might never wake up from.

Krieg had been especially grateful to Kristin for being so quick to realize that the lieutenant needed something to occupy his time and had made him run a few errands back into the other half of the cave to see if any of the distilled water containers were still intact. Much to everyone's relief, the containers had been stored under one of the metal tables and a couple of the plastic bottles had managed to avoid the brunt of the collapse. Lucas had taken the water eagerly, surprised at how much he actually wanted some in spite of the awkward position he was trapped in. After a few sips while being supported by Kristin, he was eased back onto the makeshift pillow. Gasping for oxygen which seemed all too scarce in the confined space, he asked, "What about Cleo?" The two adults had been much too quiet about the condition of his girlfriend for the boy's liking and he was starting to imagine that she was dead and they didn't want to tell him. It wasn't a thought he liked to entertain, but it was logical. They didn't seem nearly as concerned about her as they were about him, so either he was in a lot worse state or she was beyond saving. Ben slinked away from where the boy was lying as the doctor tried to soothe the agitated teenager.  
"It's all right. Krieg's looking after her. Just you concentrate on yourself, okay?" She could tell that none of this was going in, that Lucas was too worried to listen to a word she said, but it was the best she could do.

Lucas lay in silence for a while, watching Kristin wash out some of the cuts and scrapes with frightening detachment. He barely registered the bitter pain when she pulled at an open wound or dabbed a little too hard. Everything was too much effort and, in the gloom of the miserable, yellow torchlight, the teenager was beginning to feel scared. Since he had first awoken, his senses had undulated between sluggish disinterest and alert assessment of the situation. Just as Westphalen finished up on the cuts and scratches, Lucas was reaching the second variety of coherent thought. "Doctor?"  
His voice was still hoarse from the cave dust which had been showering down on him but Kristin was by his side in a moment. "Yes, sweetie?"  
Suddenly, the boy didn't know what to say. He felt ashamed of himself for not being able to just lie still and be quiet. It only took a split second for the doctor to tell what the problem was and she took Lucas' hand in her own, "Don't worry about a thing. SeaQuest will be here in a few hours and they'll have you out of here in no time. It will be all right, I promise." The teenager forced a faint smile to his lips but, if he was perfectly honest, for once her words had not inspired much hope. He still felt miserable and afraid and he couldn't understand why the two soldiers Ford had sent had not figured out what was happening yet. There must be something wrong and in the paranoia of his confused and frightened mind, Lucas wondered if this darkness might be the last thing he saw.

Dr. Olafsson had been surprised at his own reaction to the explosion. At the very least, he had imagined he would feel slight nausea at being single-handedly responsible for killing six people, two of them little more than children. He marvelled at the fact that it did not seem to matter how old you were, there were all sorts of things one still had to learn about oneself. Of course, not everyone had the opportunity to kill someone - or at least to act on the impulse. Now, however, he had to pull himself together and plan his next move. It was vital that he inform seaQuest but not quickly enough for them to save their people. The cave-in had sounded very effective and Olafsson was certain that the entire inner area would be completely destroyed with barely an air pocket to breathe in for more than twenty minutes if the person had not already been crushed to death. Glancing at his watch, he decided that it had been long enough since the collapse for him to alert seaQuest. Wherever they were in the vast ocean, it was bound to take them a significant amount of time to get back to the station, regardless of how fast the boat went. He could always claim that communications were out again, thus alleviating him of any further responsibility for the accident. Bridger had known that vid links and such functioned randomly and he had also known that the rock was unstable because of what Wagner had supposedly done to it. There were a hundred different escape clauses which Olafsson could use to extricate himself from the web of UEO law, so now all he had to do was play the innocent bystander.  
Within ten minutes, he had seaQuest on line and had perfected his most agitated and frightened manner as Bridger listened.  
"It simply collapsed...I can't explain what happened, but your people are still in there. I don't know how much longer they can survive."  
Bridger waited impatiently for the doctor to calm down before asking, "And where were you while all this was happening?"  
"I had been working in Dr. Wagner's office for much of the day, hoping to recover some of the material he had destroyed. I heard the noise and came running immediately." Nathan was trying his hardest to keep his head as captain when all his heart was being torn in two by horrific flashes of Lucas and Kristin dying in a premature tomb of this damned rock. "Commander Ford, what's our ETA?" The commander was looking almost as harassed as the captain but was maintaining a level head as he glanced at the monitors. "Two hours, sir."  
Nathan turned back to Olafsson, "We'll be there in one." Switching off the link, he turned to Ford and patted him on the shoulder. "Full speed. I want us there on the double."  
"Yes, sir."  
"And alert the med team. Tell them the situation, possible multiple casualties, full trauma team." He tailed off momentarily, imagining the scene as his loved ones were pulled one by one from the wreckage. "Sir?"  
"Hmm?" Bridger shrugged off the unwelcome flash and tried to plunge himself back into his duties, but he knew it would be impossible. Commander Ford tactfully offered, "Captain, I've got everything under control here if you'd like to have some time alone." He spoke quietly, ensuring that the rest of the bridge crew didn't hear. Nathan smiled wearily, grateful to be able to delegate to Ford in this situation because his knees were starting to feel like jelly and the bridge suddenly seemed much too cramped. He needed some space, both physically and mentally, and he headed directly to his quarters, offering a warning glare if anyone looked about to approach him. Now was not the time. His family needed him. Part of him was already chiding himself over the dangers he had chosen to overlook when seaQuest left the base. He had been hesitant to leave his people there for the exact reason that he was now racing against the clock, desperate to save Lucas and Kristin's lives before it was too late.

Nathan slammed his fist against his desk. How could he be so foolish?! The whole reason that he was perfect material to man the seaQuest (apart from the fact that it was his design) was because a captain had to be able to assess situations by all the factors. He had to make educated decisions which affected over two hundred other people aboard. Nathan's mistake had been allowing his unprofessional relationship with Kristin and Lucas to get in the way of his better judgement. He had treated them both like eager children in a sweet shop, giving in to their whims even when he recognized the potential dangers. In his desire to please, Bridger had managed to endanger their lives with hazardous consequences.

There was nothing he could do but wait until they reached the station, sitting it out while his mind raced over his mismanagement of the situation and the horrors they might find when they got there. He had already lost one son - he was not going to lose another.

It was with a leaden, numbed heart, incapacitated with grief, that Nathan endured the final hours which would bring him back to the hellish MEDS station. The assignment had been ominous from the very beginning and the captain was already composing his hate mail to Admiral Bill Noyce. He was in the middle of berating himself for the tenth time in so many minutes when his PAL bleeped noisily and Commander Ford's voice came clearly over the tinny speaker, "Captain, we're about to dock."

Within seconds, Bridger found himself standing in the launch bay, chivvying along the trauma team and crew men who had been sent to move any boulders and try to extricate the victims. He felt his heart lurching in his chest as they boarded, his mind half paralysed against any expectations of what they might find once they docked. Ford and Hitchcock had been sensitive to his emotions and had taken most of the preparations and orders in hand with barely a questioning look in his direction, aware of his shocked state. It was common knowledge that Bridger had sort of adopted Lucas as a surrogate son since the beginning of the first tour and Kristin had grown closer to the captain, making this a double blow for the man.

Hitchcock helped organize everyone into strategic groups and, as soon as they were docked, each one moved out with fluid structure, herding themselves through the corridors of the station towards the rear mine. Olafsson emerged from the doorway, his face streaked with dirt and sweat from where he had been trying in vain to move some of the lighter rocks from the entrance. "Thank God! I think someone might still be alive in there." Bridger charged to the front, followed closely by Hitchcock, pushing their way to the entrance. Suddenly, Nathan found himself capable of rational , unsentimental thought again. He knew what had to be done, understood the procedures and heard a voice strangely similar to his own barking orders right, left and centre. The excavation team moved in, starting up the digging equipment while the medical team stood by, sorting out their supplies into a portable hospital, double checking blood types for the patients and trying to create some kind of order despite the chaos which would inevitably ensue.

On the other side of the rock barrier, Ben had been busily sifting through the lab equipment buried in the chamber closest to the entrance in the hope of finding something, anything which might be of use to Kristin with Lucas. The boy had been deteriorating in gradual degrees over the past few hours, his voice losing its desperate edge, which had been a good sign at first. However, it had not been long before it gave way to fear and then despondency until Krieg had left Lucas in a state of complete dejection. Kristin had been trying her hardest to keep him amused but the pain which the boy had been almost unaware of before was mounting and it was all he could do to concentrate on anything other than trying to hold the agony at bay and keep from crying out.

Rummaging through the wreckage, Ben paused suddenly, certain that he could hear something coming from the other side of the rubble across the cave entrance. He moved closer, his breath caught in his throat, afraid that the simple act of respiration would inhibit his hearing. Placing his ear against what appeared to be a thinner part of the wall, Krieg listened carefully. There was a kind of rustling sound, like someone moving rocks on the other side, but it could just be more debris falling into place somewhere deep within the barrier. He pulled away, his heart sinking. The sound which followed suddenly brought him to a halt again, elation filling every cell of his body. There was a God after all! Without a doubt, that was the sound of an electric drill. The kid was going to get out of there in one piece, he wasn't going to die!

Scurrying back to the back area of the cave, Ben pulled himself through the narrow hole which he and Kristin had made and was by the doctor's side in an instant. "They're here. I can hear them drilling on the other side of the entrance." Kristin looked up at him, her face a visage of weariness and fear. The hope which lit her eyes was only half conceived and Ben knew that until Lucas was safely in the arms of a medical team, she could not rest easy. She murmured, "Thank God."  
Ben still couldn't resist the small smile which tugged at his lips. They were going home...and Lucas would be okay. "How's he doing?"  
Glancing down at the ailing boy, she drew Ben aside into the darkness, away from the torchlight. Whether Lucas was aware of her presence anymore or not, and whether he could hear her, she couldn't be sure, but it wouldn't do him any good to know how worried she was.  
"His pulse has dropped significantly and his responses are becoming increasingly sluggish." Ben placed a reassuring arm on her shoulder, "He'll be out of here in no time. He doesn't have to hang on much longer."  
"Ben, who knows how long it will take them to make a hole big enough to get the equipment through needed to move that damned rock trapping Lucas! It could be hours. I don't know how much longer I can keep him holding on."

Ben had been convinced that as soon as seaQuest docked, everything would be okay. He hadn't anticipated that Lucas might not make it that far. He felt anger coiling in his chest. It was wrong that the boy should be so close to being saved only to have his life extinguished without a chance of redemption. Stubbornly, he retorted, "Well, we'll just have to try harder. Keep him awake!"  
Kristin hissed, "Don't you think I'm doing everything I can? Ben, his body is shutting down. He has suffered a severe blow to the head and has open wounds which have been left unattended for hours. I don't know how much longer he can wait. The pain must be excruciating." Ben sighed and rubbed one hand across his forehead in a feeble gesture of despair.  
He looked over at where Lucas was lying, his thin frame and gaunt face starkly outlined by the failing, yellow beam of the torch. The lieutenant could barely see the rise and fall of his chest and, with his eyes closed, Lucas looked more dead than alive. Deep shadows leeched the colour from under his eyes and the gash on his forehead was already swelling and blooming into a deep bruise as the blood congealed. It was a sight the lieutenant had hoped never to see on a grown man, let alone a mere child who had no business being left on such a hazardous station in the first place. "I'll try and help them from our side, see if I can make contact and let them know what's going on." Kristin nodded and watched, grimly, as Krieg picked his way over the obstacles towards the small hole. She didn't fancy his chances of making much progress, but right now that was all Lucas had to rely on.


	7. Out Of The Blue - Part 7

OUT OF THE BLUE : PART SEVEN 

By Allegra

See Part One for disclaimers etc.

Feedback greatly appreciated.

"Sir, I think I can hear something!"

Katie looked up from the sonar threads she had been gently feeding through the crevices of the rock, tugging at the her headphones.

Bridger snatched them from her and listened carefully, "It could just be more loose rocks but we're not taking any chances."

He motioned to the evacuation team, "Work faster but be careful. We may have victims directly behind this barrier."

Hitchcock was half way through tracing another sonar fibre into the cracks, when someone or something pulled on it from the other side. She pulled back in shock, only to hear a voice she could barely believe to be true, "Can anyone out there hear me? My name is Lieutenant Benjamin Krieg of the UEO seaQuest. Can you hear me?"

Katie had been so afraid when she had heard about the cave in. God knows she and Ben had spent a lot of time bickering and fighting; there had even been days when she had wanted him dead. In spite of all that, nothing compared to the terrible wrenching fear and heartache she had endured when Olafsson had explained the situation.

Relief flooded through her brain and she could feel tears threatening to well up before she swallowed them back and retrieved the microphone thread from her case. Within seconds, it was through and she said, "Ben? Ben, is that you?"

"Katie? Thank God!"

Bridger silenced the evacuation team as Katie pulled herself together and back into commander mode, asking all the appropriate questions in a rescue situation.

"Are you hurt?"

The voice echoed as it bounced back, distorting Krieg's voice, but she could clearly distinguish, "...okay."

Nathan knew that Hitchcock was only following procedure, but it took all his self restraint not to run over and grab the microphone from her to find out whether Lucas was there. Of course, it wasn't long before Katie asked, "How many more are trapped with you?"

"Just Westphalen, Lucas and, uh, Cleo. The doctor is fine but, uh, Lucas is in pretty bad shape, commander. The quicker you get through this wall the better."

Bridger took a deep breath; that was all he needed to know. It was not the information he had been hoping to receive but at least he could begin to deal with it now.

Katie inquired, "And Cleo?"

At first, there was no response from the other end, and she flexed the cable gently, "Ben? What about Cleo?"

Eventually, his voice sailed back to them, suddenly diminished and quiet. "She's dead."

Silence coated the rescue team. Few of them had known Cleo, but the impact those words had on the group was indescribable. Her death was a brutal reminder of how lucky the others had been, how easily their lives could be stolen and how quickly they needed to get to Lucas.

"Ben, where are they?"

"The cave got split in two. The others are in the back half."

Katie breathed a sigh of relief. At least there was one reason to be happy. If no one was directly behind the wall, it made their job easier to just bulldoze the wall and get through.

"Ben, stay with them. We'll be coming through on full power."

Ben reluctantly agreed although, if truth be told, the last place he wanted to be was huddled beside Lucas when he felt so helpless. If the boy stopped breathing, there was absolutely nothing he could do to help, except offer to do chest compressions when what he really needed was a life support machine. It was torture, one which Ben knew Kristin must share, and as morale officer, the least he could do was try to keep her spirits up.

Half an hour later, there was an almighty crash, and Ben peered through the hole to see Captain Bridger climbing through a gap in the entrance. The bright light from the corridor was blinding and the lieutenant had to raise his hands to block it out for a moment before suddenly some of the rocks above the entrance fell to take their predecessor's place.

"Captain?"

Bridger turned just in time to see the medic taking a step back from the entrance as his way was barred.

"Damn it!"

Anger and annoyance was replaced quickly by a mixture of concern and gratitude that he was at least in a position to find out what was going on for himself. It wouldn't be more than a few minutes before the team outside managed to recreate the hole and get the medics back in here. He placed two firm hands on Krieg's shoulders, grateful to find his man safe.

"Lieutenant, thank God! Where's Kristin?"

"I'm in here, Nathan!"

The voice was like music to the captain's ears. He felt as if it had been aeons since they had last spoken; it was just unfortunate that the reunion had to be in such unwelcome circumstances. He scrambled through the narrow hole which the pair had made and couldn't resist the grin which was spreading from ear to ear.

"Kristin!"

She smiled, but Bridger's relief was short lived when his gaze followed hers to the boy lying beside her. The teenager was pinned face down to the rocky floor, looking as if an entire mountain range had just fallen on him. Ben stood aside and gave the captain room to sit down, tracing a hand lightly down the side of Lucas' face.  
"Lucas? Wake up, kiddo."

At first there was no response at all, and under the coolness of his skin, Nathan could almost be led to believe that the boy was dead.  
Sluggishly, Lucas' senses came to life. He could clearly feel someone's hand against his cheek, a rough hand unlike Dr. Westphalen's, hot and steady against his flesh. It would be so much easier for him to just sleep and ignore the activity around him, settle back into the encroaching womb of complete lack of sensation.

Still, the rational and sensible part of his mind was just about functioning, telling him that he was in trouble and must cling to the real world, to the people who he knew were trying to help him. Resigned to this knowledge, Lucas anchored himself to the voice guiding him.

Bridger coaxed the boy back from the brink of unconsciousness, watching as he flinched a little under the man's touch. Without warning, his blue eyes opened and stared into the gloom ahead of him. A small grunt of pain escaped his lips, barely perceptible, but Nathan could see from the boy's face how much he felt the burden of that rock on his leg. His upper right leg was completely obscured and the white hue of the teenager's skin was a good indication of how much blood he was losing.

"Lucas, it's Captain Bridger."

Lucas tried to move his head to see his captain but instead found himself fighting another onslaught of throbbing agony tearing through every inch of his body. He gasped as he tried to control the nausea which followed. The last thing he wanted was to vomit all over the place; he might be lying there for quite some time.

"Hey, kiddo. Easy now."

Lucas strained his eyes in the gloom. "Captain? Is that, is that really you?"

Nathan looked anxiously at Kristin, who returned a knowing glance. Lucas seemed barely aware of his surroundings anymore and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep him coherent.

"Yes, Lucas, it's really me."

"Are we going back to seaQuest?"

The voice was so desperate and hopeful that it nearly broke Bridger's heart to tell him the truth.

"Just as soon as we can get you out of here."

"I feel sick."

Nathan opened his mouth to say something, but Kristin moved him aside and knelt beside the boy while she checked his pulse. He flinched away, wincing as she examined the gash to his head then placed one of the empty water containers, which had been cut in half, beside him.

"Here you go, sweetheart."

She turned to the captain, "What's going on out there? How long do you think it will be before we can move him?"

"They're working on it as we speak. The hole I got through closed up behind me, but if they can move those, they might be able to lever some larger rocks out of the way."

No sooner had he spoken than a medic appeared through the hole followed by another. They brought bright torches which they hung near where Lucas was stuck. Kristin jumped to attention. Now that she had some equipment, she could make herself a bit more useful.

Snatching some supplies from the medic's hands, she began to assess his condition properly. Perhaps fortunately, considering all the pushing and pulling going on, Lucas had closed his eyes and didn't seem to be conscious of the hands working over him. Kristin supported his head while a medic placed an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth, but the small cloud of air signifying his breathing was not encouraging. She decided to hold back on the pain killers while he was unconscious, it would only make him drowsier and they weren't in a position to take that risk.

A second later, the PAL which Bridger had brought with him chirruped. "Yes?"

Hitchcock's tinny sounding voice came over, "Captain, we've got a situation back here."

Nathan didn't want to leave Lucas if possible, so he moved a few steps from where the medics were working and asked, "Yes? What kind of situation?"

"Well, there is a heavy iron door sealing the entrance. It is the only place where we stand a chance of getting the excavation machinery through. The door is still intact. It would take us hours to get through with the cutters, but the key pad and codes seem to be intact. If someone with the password could get in..."  
Bridger nodded to the empty air, "Hold on a minute. I'll ask Westphalen."

Kristin was checking Lucas' pulse again, her face drawn into sharp angles of worry and determination. She looked up at Nathan.

"Nathan, we need to move him soon. Even with the med kit there isn't much we can do to help him."

"Do you know the codes to get in here? The ones for the main door. They've uncovered the door and if we could get the codes, he'd be out of here in a second."

Kristin shook her head, uncertainly. "No, only Wagner knew them...and Cleo, but..." She glanced over at the inert body of the girl covered up at the side of the room like a piece of left luggage at the airport.

Bridger cursed Wagner's stupidity under his breath, then paused, "What about Lucas?"

Westphalen's face brightened, "He did spend a great deal of time in here with her. If anyone would remember something like that, it would be Lucas."

She looked over at where the boy was lying, her confidence dwindling. "I'll try and wake him up."

The captain did not have a lot of faith in this plan but it was the best they could hope for at the moment. If Lucas didn't know, they could be waiting hours before Wagner could be tracked down and it was even less likely that he would co-operate with them. Kristin explained the situation to the medics, who reluctantly left the boy's side and let the captain come through. He took Lucas' hand in his own and rubbed it gently, willing him back to them. Kristin rummaged through the med kit and produced a vial of liquid and began depositing it into a syringe.

"This should wake him up a bit. It'll kick start his system, but not for long. You'll have to get the information fast."

Nathan nodded, mutely. He hated having to do this, but it might be their best hope. He asked, "Is it dangerous?"

Kristin raised her eyebrows, "Well, I wouldn't normally recommend it, but given our options..."

Bridger held the boy's slender arm as the doctor inserted the syringe into the tender flesh on the inside of his elbow, then gently removed the oxygen mask from his face.

"Lucas? Wake up, Lucas."

Groggily, the boy opened his eyes and Nathan smiled in relief.

"Hey, Lucas, I need you to do something for me."

At first, the teenager didn't respond, so Bridger continued, "Do you remember the door at the entrance to the cave?"

He nodded, weakly.

"Good, that's good. Now, do you remember the codes, the numbers that went into the keypad?"

In the fuzzy haze which he had once called a mind, Lucas tried to remember what the captain was talking about. Keypads, numbers - it sort of made sense to him, but he didn't know how to start finding the words to speak. Westphalen's hand squeezed his own, and he struggled to think back over what had happened since before the cave in. It felt like so long ago, as if someone were asking him to recall events which had occurred when he was in kindergarten. His mind plodded steadily over the previous day and the day before that, hazily recreating the first moment that he had set foot in the mine with Cleo.

Nathan coaxed him on, aware that the effects of Westphalen's drug would only last for a short while longer and Lucas needed that information more than he knew.

"Come on, kiddo. I know you can do it. Try real hard."

Lucas was trying. His brain was working overtime to remember and still they were pushing him harder. Fighting a brutal wave of nausea, he whispered, "Five, zero..."

His voice trailed off as his eyes began to drift closed. Nathan reached down and ran a hand over the boy's damp forehead, sharply altering the tone of his voice, "Lucas. Lucas, come on, I need those codes."

He didn't enjoy adopting such a military and insensitive attitude, but it was imperative that they get those codes or Lucas would be contending with a lot worse than some hurt feelings and a bit of mental pressure. Responding tiredly to the captain's insistent voice, Lucas opened his eyes, glazed blue meeting fiery brown.

"Five zero what?"

The boy frowned in concentration, his mind wavering over the question, the words blurring into an incomprehensible pattern of odd rhythms. He opened his mouth and uttered something which his brain told him were words but which were already disintegrating into empty air...and then he couldn't think any longer and there was nothing.  
Nathan tried to shake the boy awake again, his heart racing in his chest with fear that he had lost him.

"Lucas, can you hear me? Talk to me, Lucas!"

The boy's eyes closed, his mouth still moving with a final formed word before Kristin quickly shoved the captain aside.

"That's it, Nathan. No more. He needs oxygen and rest."

"But the numbers...!"

She snapped, "Oh, Nathan, what about the numbers?! He can barely comprehend where he is, let alone what happened two days ago or the wretched password to some door!"

She carefully replaced the oxygen mask and took Lucas' pulse again, reacting in horror as she felt it throb sluggishly beneath her fingers. This was not looking good.

Bridger had rarely felt this helpless and now he felt close to tears. Not only had he failed to extract the information he needed but his last words to the boy had been spoken harshly. No! He was damned if the child was going to die with those final words spoken in hasty anger and frustration. Lucas was going to live and no wall of rock was going to stand in his way. Jumping to his feet, he felt the adrenaline coursing through his body, willing him on. Reaching for his PAL, he barked, "Commander Hitchcock. Try five, zero, six, five, three."

"Yes, sir," came the reply. Ben and Nathan moved to the hole leading into the front chamber and waited with bated breath to see the result.

Bridger had little hope of it being successful, but right now hope and a prayer was about all they had to live on and since the religious Lieutenant O'Neill wasn't with them...

There was a snapping sound followed by a whirring noise and, with effort and the aid of a crow bar, the doors to the mine entrance slid slowly open. Barely had the two men been given the chance to acknowledge what was happening, than there was a sudden flurry of activity and the full rescue team were forming a human chain and passing parts of equipment through, moving rocks aside to allow the digger access. Ben was the first to react, giving a hand wherever possible while Nathan found himself simply standing there, unable to see where he fitted into this equation. His mind and heart were rooted firmly in the adjacent chamber with the young man fighting for his life.

With the new advantage of electrical equipment, the rock barrier was removed with care as far away from the injured victim as possible, then the team repositioned near the boulder trapping Lucas' leg. Now that she knew he would be able to get full medical attention, Kristin decided to knock the boy out completely before they tried to move him. The pain would be undeniably the most painful experience he could ever endure and it would be equally traumatic and life-threatening to leave him awake as it would be to give him an anaesthetic which would depress his breathing further.

Administering the injection into the bruised arm which she could almost encircle between thumb and fore finger, the doctor couldn't help the sudden overwhelming urge she had to cry. She had been holding herself together for so many hours, playing the leader for Ben and Lucas. Every particle of her body had been focused intently on keeping the poor boy alive, but now her rational mind took over again and she was forced to reconcile herself with the truth of what he now faced. If anyone came into an emergency room with a trauma like this, her first reaction would be to notify the morgue by the end of the evening. Why should Lucas be any different simply because she willed it so? Because she loved him? God had never looked as kindly on her brother or Bridger's wife and son. Strong arms suddenly encircled her shoulders and Kristin didn't need to look to know that it was Nathan cradling her against him and giving her strength to go on.

The pair watched in numbed silence as the boulder was secured and carefully lifted away from Lucas' upper right leg. Ignorance to the gravity of his wounds gave way to horrifying knowledge of what the boy had been facing since the collapse. His upper leg was an ugly patchwork of bruises and blood oozing slowly and congealing against the torn flesh. The medics jumped immediately into action, applying gauze pads to the wounds and securing a padded brace around the leg from hip to toe.

Kristin took the neck brace and carefully manoeuvred it around the boy's neck before they gently rolled Lucas onto his back and the backboard they had brought.

No time was wasted in getting Lucas out of the mine and back to seaQuest, leaving the rest of the team to deal with Cleo's body and begin the search for some kind of explanation for the sudden cave in.

Throughout the frenzy, Dr. Olafsson had kept a modest distance, affecting concern without overstepping into suspicion. Now that the principal crew members had returned to seaQuest, he could creep forward again. He could feel his heart racing nineteen to the dozen, no doubt a result of anger and fear. True, it had not been the most intricately thought out plan, but he had been careful enough to make sure that no one could survive that cave-in.

Instead, he found himself confronted with the very real fear of discovery. Not only had all three of the UEO people been ferried out alive, he also had to contend with the fact that he had killed two guards. Eventually, someone would ask questions and the finger would ultimately point back to him. Cursing under his breath, Olafsson's mind wandered back to the greedy man who had got him involved in this in the first place. Eric Wagner was the whole reason why he was now a murderer and a bad one at that."Excuse me, sir. Are you boarding the shuttle?"

The doctor was pulled rudely from his reflections by the question. He turned to a fresh-faced young crew member, smiling in reassurance at him as if he were some train wreck victim. Collecting himself, he stammered, "Uh, yes, I'll...yes, I am."

The crewman led the way to the shuttle amid profuse apologies for the fact that he would have to share the cabin with a corpse.

Olafsson pretended to be only mildly affected by the proposition and sat down, breathing a sigh of relief. As soon as he hit top side there were a million different places where he could run and hide until all of this died down. Wagner was already being held in custody over the rock operations. Hopefully, the UEO would accept one conviction as sufficient recompense. Of course, Olafsson was under no illusions that Eric wouldn't wail to the high heavens about his cohorts and how he was only a duped sidekick, fooled into working with him. Great minds think alike and the doctor could think of no better course of action if their places were reversed.

Mulling over the possible refuges he could seek once they reached dry land, the doctor inadvertently looked over at the body bag resting on the opposite bench. It startled him more than he had expected. The black plastic stretched slightly over the stiffening form beneath its folds, a face and body which he had seen many times during his visits to the MEDS station. Cleo had been one of those simpering girls who had disgusted him at first with her coy smiles and meek demeanour, such stuff as feminine traps are made of.

By their third meeting, however, he began to find a sort of paedophilic appeal in her, a lolita waiting for some discipline. Olafsson had grown to like her. It was just a shame she had died before he had been given the opportunity to make her acquaintance properly. Oh well, her death would have been quick, probably, and there was no point in crying over spilled milk. He mourned her passing in a detached sort of way but the doctor's heart was blackened with deceit and bitterness. He had no generosity to spare for a dead girl. He simply wanted to be back on firm ground where he belonged.

Nathan was bustled through the doors of the medbay where Kristin drew him aside.

"There's a lot of work to be done here. You should get some rest. He'll be in the operating theatre for quite some time. I promise I'll call for you if anything happens."

Bridger knew better than to protest. Kristin was one of the best doctors he had ever seen and, given the choice, he would rather she was working on Lucas than anyone else.

He nodded and watched as she darted into the emergency area where Nathan could already see the boy hooked up to a number of machines with at least two IVs trailing from his limp wrist, an oximeter clipped over one slender finger. A nurse was cutting off his trousers which exposed the crushed leg while another forced his mouth open and ran an intubation tube down the teenager's throat.

Kristin glanced up at the door, noticing the captain's anxious face staring in, but she made no move to get rid of him. She knew him too well to expect him to leave on command and, considering the man's relationship with Lucas, perhaps it was better for him to see all of this for himself rather than have it catalogued later on. She busied herself with the IVs, barking orders in various directions.

"Get me six units of packed cells, a CBC, Chem-7 and six units of O-neg!"

Another emergency doctor examined Lucas' leg.

"He's got a fracture of the upper femur and it looks like a comminuted fracture of the pelvic bone. Prep him for surgery. I want him prepped and ready in five."

Bridger watched, horrified, as Lucas was prodded and pulled, injected and tested without so much as a flicker of awareness of what was going on. His face looked even paler than it had done under the sickly glow of the torches in the mine, and the contusions covering his body were painfully visible under the bright, strip lighting of the medbay. Head lolling lifelessly to one side, Lucas was wheeled hurriedly off towards the operating theatre.

Nathan released a weary sigh. His work was done, now he had no choice but to wait.

Katie paused outside Ben Krieg's quarters, her fist paused to knock on the door. Since the team had managed to rescue Lucas from the cave, she had barely had time to think let alone worry about her former husband's state of mind. Every move had become a flurry of commands and automatic responses, but now that she was given some reflection time, she knew full well what kind of reaction Ben would be having to the situation.

Katie had learned the hard way that he was much more sensitive than she had imagined and being trapped in there with the sick and the dying would have had a greater impact on him than he would ever let on. He would adopt his usual, casual and jovial manner around the rest of the crew, cracking jokes, when underneath it all, he was hurting. Still, it was hard to know how to react. Katie knew so much about him but they had broken up long ago and their positions were very different now. Did she still have the right to treat him the same way she had when they were married? It was difficult to know where to draw the line, nothing like making a friend among the ranks after joining the crew. In that scenario, the rules had already been drawn up and everyone knew exactly at what point friendships moved into forbidden territory. With Ben, Katie never knew how to react.

She peered through the small window of his room and all doubt fell away with the sorrowful expression on his face. He was lying on his bed, hands clasped behind his head while his eyes stared vacantly at the ceiling panels above him.

Katie knocked on the door and opened it, not waiting for a reply. Ben looked at her and stood up quickly, swinging his legs onto the floor in one swift movement.

"Katie? What can I do you for? Some lovely stockings or perhaps a side of nice, red beef?"

If the commander had not known better, she would have been fooled into believing him completely unperturbed by the events only a few hours in the history books. But she did know better.

She smiled, "This isn't World War II, you know...and you don't have to pretend for me, Ben."

He looked at her in faint surprise but she saw the flicker of relief that he didn't have to play the part anymore.

"Uh, what are you talking about?"

Katie didn't need to answer the question. She had simply caught him off guard, but he understood her. She took his hands between her own and sat down on the bed, drawing him down beside her.

"Talk to me."

It was clear that he was still closed up, almost unclear as to his own emotions. He opened his hands in a gesture of indifference, "I'm not quite sure what you want me to say."Katie nodded and waited. It would come, it would just take a bit of time...and a little coaxing.

"I can't imagine how awful it must have been, trapped in that cave with barely any light, unable to do a thing to help yourself."Ben snorted, derisively. "Yeah, I was pretty useless."

"I don't believe that. You looked after Lucas, you helped us get you out."

"No, Kristin took care of Lucas. I just stood there like a lump, fetching things when she needed them."

Katie licked her lips, carefully selecting the words to say.

"Don't underestimate yourself, Ben. You're an asset to this boat. There's a good reason why you were chosen as morale officer. Whatever you did in there, nobody could have done more."

Ben turned his head, sharply, to look at his ex-wife. Even after all these years, she still knew exactly what to say and she was trying so hard to make him feel better.

"Thanks, but..." he laughed, humourlessly, "...you don't know that."

Hitchcock rubbed his leg in reassurance, hoping her touch might bring some comfort, quietly adding, "I know you."

"Yeah and look where that information got you."

He shook his head, glumly, then stood up and began pacing the room. Katie could see the frustration building in the tense bunching of his muscles. Then, in a torrent, he released everything.

"God, I couldn't do a damned thing to help him, Katie! Do you know what that feels like?! That poor kid was dying and Cleo was lying dead a few feet away and I did nothing. I couldn't, I didn't know how!"

His voice trembled, choked up with renewed sorrow and bitter memories of the incident. Katie went to him, her hand lightly grazing his arm.

"Because there wasn't anything, Ben."

He shook his head, vehemently, as the unwelcome tears welled, but she continued.

"Sometimes it's easier to beat yourself up than it is to accept that you did everything you could given the circumstances. You have to be the one to step to the fore and see which one you are. I know you're stronger than that, Ben. Don't give in to it."

Ben raised his eyes to her, grief clearly etched on every inch of his face.

"I just can't get it out of my head, her face. She looked like she was sleeping."

Katie desperately wanted to take him in her arms, hug him like she had done years ago.

Softy, he asked, "What if he doesn't make it?"

Katie cupped his face in her hands, forcing him to hold her steady gaze, and firmly told him, "Lucas is in safe hands now. He's getting the best medical attention we could ask for, and he's got all his friends rallying round to support him. He'll pull through, he'll be okay."

She wasn't entirely sure where these prophetic words came from and the commander hoped them to be true. Just voicing her prayers somehow made them seem a possibility, a reality to be gripped hold of and brought to anchor.

Katie pulled Ben towards her and spontaneously kissed him on the cheek, "Get some rest and I'll ask medbay to let you know as soon as there is some news."

Ben nodded, still feeling dispirited, but slightly the better for the commander's pep talk. He surrendered himself to the wise assurance harnessed in those piercing blue eyes. There was a time when his heart had pounded just for a flicker of recognition from those eyes, some glimmer of reciprocal affection to tell him he had a chance. Katie Hitchcock had always been the best at anything she put her mind to; there were no limits to her power when she chose. Ben found himself wondering what had gone wrong between them. Had they really just been in love with an abstract idea of themselves, an unattainable happiness embodied in the perfect team? The brightest and the best working side by side.

As if in a dream, Ben felt his fingers tangled in Katie's dark locks, her breath hot and frenzied against his neck. God, was this really happening?

"Oh, Ben," she breathed, nuzzling his ear. His lips found hers and the lieutenant found himself sinking into delicious softness.

Dimly, a part of him knew that this was wrong, inappropriate, but it had gone too far to pull out now. Ben kept waiting for Katie to pull away and tell him to stop but the kiss continued.

Finally, as abruptly as the passion had begun, the commander took her cue and pushed Krieg gently away from her. She passed a hand guiltily over her mouth.

"Oh, God, Ben...we, uh, this isn't right. We can't..."

Ben attempted a short laugh but it resulted in a stilted cackle. He ran one hand through his hair and replied a bit too quickly, "Yeah, you're right, absolutely right. Uh, rest? Isn't that what you said?"

Katie nodded emphatically.

"Yes, get some sleep. I'll, uh, I'll go...now."

Backing towards the door, she slipped out into the corridor.

Nathan awoke to the sound of the medbay doors opening and swinging wildly on their hinges as staff passed hurriedly through. Whether he was just coming out of a deep slumber or whether it was the first time the doors had been in use since he had fallen asleep, the captain couldn't be sure, but his senses were alert the instant his eyes snapped open. The bench he had taken up residence on was hardly the most comfortable spot he could have chosen and his neck was a painful reminder of how bent up he had been for the past few...minutes? Hours?

Nathan looked up at the wall clock and then checked it against his own wrist watch, but neither observation did much good. Since he had heard about the cave in, besides speed, time had seemed of little consequence, and he had no idea what time they had returned to seaQuest or when Lucas had been taken into the operating theatre.

He was impatient to know what was going on in there and, as captain of the boat, he could easily find out without raising any suspicions. He had every right to know what was happening in each corner of seaQuest, whether the doctors liked it or not. If he was perfectly honest with himself, most of Nathan's frustration stemmed from the fact that no matter how many questions he asked or orders he doled out, he had no control over what the outcome of Lucas' operation would be. He didn't like to be out of the loop and he would snag the first doctor who made the error of walking in his direction. Fortunately for the spider, it wasn't long before the first fly came a little too close, this time in the form of an emergency room nurse.

"Excuse me."

The petite, blonde woman stopped short and smiled, graciously.  
"Yes, sir."

Her disarming demeanour made Bridger feel momentarily guilty for his uncharacteristically aggressive tone.

"Uh, I was wondering if you knew what was happening with Lucas Wolenczak."

"The boy in the OR?"

"Yes. How's he doing?"

Nathan craned his neck towards the imposing doors leading into that forbidden territory. "It seems like he's been in there a long time."

The nurse patted him, condescendingly on the arm and smiled that smile again.

"His injuries were quite severe. Five hours is common for an operation in a case such as this. I wouldn't worry."

Bridger's gratitude for her friendliness was beginning to sour into annoyance. He wanted answers not the usual fobbing off given to anxious relatives.

"Well, I am worried and I would like a prognosis."

The nurse's smile dipped a little before she regained her composure, taking in the captain's authoritative air.

"I'll go and see what I can find out for you, sir."

"Thank you. Much appreciated."

That done, Nathan began to feel a bit queasy. He had run into this headlong and he felt like he had just turned down a path from which there was no turning back. Before he had been free to make up his own conclusion to the tale, make an educated guess at what he would find in that room, but now even that small control had been taken out of his hands. He was at the mercy of the doctors and perhaps even God. He began pacing to and fro in front of the swing doors, his brown eyes wandering aimlessly around the grim emergency room which was filled with reminders of how fragile life could be.

Defibrillator paddles, hundreds of drugs, scalpels, intubation equipment - it was all there to save lives, just bits of plastic and strange, medicinal substances mixed together to jump start an ailing vessel. Thousands of people died in rooms like these every day, people someone cared about...

"Nathan?"

Bridger whirled around to face Kristin Westphalen, his brown eyes studying every detail of her face to translate their meaning. What did that sudden crease in her forehead signify? Was that good or bad?

"Kristin, thank God! Finally, someone who can give me some answers."

He was about to embark on a rant when the doors of the OR swung open and a couple of nurses pushed a gurney through. Lucas' thin frame was barely invisible beneath the swathes of bloodied gauze and medical equipment, IV lines and blood pressure monitors as he was moved towards the recovery area, a nurse squeezing the airbag which was helping to keep him alive. Nathan made to follow but Kristin rested a hand against his chest.

"They're just moving him to recovery. Come and sit down."

She steered the shocked captain back towards the chairs and sat down beside him, adopting her customary doctor manner.

"Well, the head wound was not serious, just a bit sore from the impact of being thrown to the floor. The neck of the femur bone was fractured and we've inserted a metal plate into his leg in order to fix the bone fragments in place."

"A metal plate?"

"Yes, it's important for his leg to be immobilized. Whether it will remain permanently in his leg or not is uncertain. We'll just have to see how Lucas responds."

Westphalen took a deep breath and continued.

"The only other serious injury, apart from the obvious blood loss involved, is a comminuted fracture of his pelvic bone. That seems to have been the principal point of impact between the rock and his body. Now, a comminuted fracture means that the bone has essentially been smashed to pieces, resulting in soft tissue damage around the site. Fortunately, the nature of the fracture in this case means that we've been able to realign the pieces by external manipulation. We'll cast it and put him in traction for a while, just to be on the safe side and avoid any overriding or impact between the fragments. He has a great deal of bruising but, luckily, the force didn't damage any vital organs."

Squeezing the captain's hand, Kristin relaxed now that she had delivered the prognosis.

"Nathan, I have a good feeling about this. Lucas has a will of iron. I'm sure he'll pull through."

Bridger nodded. Now he knew. There were no more uncertainties and the tightening band around his chest was suddenly released and he sighed deeply, dropping his head momentarily into his hands.

"Can I see him?"

"Give them a chance to get his leg set up. Don't forget that he lost a great deal of blood during the ordeal. He's got some healing to do, Nathan."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

Kristin smiled winningly and set off in the direction of her office to make notes. The fact that she was so calm when the captain knew full well how much she cared about the boy, made him feel infinitely better.

Bridger had walked the length of decking outside medbay for so long that he was certain the floor level must have dropped. Even steel planks couldn't withstand the emotional torment he was putting them through, oozing it from every pore of his body. He barely even looked up as Kristin approached him, her body simply blurring into the activities of the bay which excluded him.

"Nathan, you can see him now."

She led the way to the recovery area and then stopped short of the doors.

"Now, I don't want you to be alarmed. Lucas is on a respirator just to help him until he is a bit stronger and he looks rather the worse for wear, but I promise he's on the mend."

The captain was only half listening, already craning his neck to see where the boy was. He had heard the spiel before and he'd seen Lucas brought out from the OR, so it couldn't get much worse than that.

In the extraordinary silence which smothered the room in comparison to the hub of noise next door, Nathan found himself more shocked at the teenager's state than he had expected. With the trauma team and the emergency doctors working him over, it was funny how one's mind made up the rest of the picture.

In the flurry of movement, even though Lucas had been unconscious the entire time, it felt as if he were doing something, fighting for himself and helping the doctors in their job. Now that he was resting quietly, surrounded by monitors supporting his breathing, his fluid intake and nutrition, Lucas looked more helpless than before. Gone was the kid who was constantly getting into mischief or asking for favours. He had been replaced with mechanical sounds, hissing air and the steady beep of the EKG; there was only the physical, battered shell of that child.

He surveyed the cherubic face, marred by the gash which had begun to spread a mottled patch of bruising down his temple and cheek. It was difficult to imagine that Lucas could be oblivious to the immense pain his body must still be feeling, dulled only by heavy, efficient drugs. The boy looked incredibly fragile and Nathan was almost afraid simply to hold his hand in case he broke the bones.

He carefully arranged Lucas' fingers so as not to dislodge the IV line, lacing them through his own. He grimly noted the stark difference in their body temperatures. Lucas' skin was still somewhat chilled beneath his, the skin almost translucent, showing blue veins networking through the young flesh.

He lost track of how long he sat with the boy, knowing that there was little chance of him waking any time soon, but unable to leave his side. There was nowhere Nathan would rather be than sitting in the uncomfortable, plastic medbay chair, his back aching from the awkward angle. Eventually, though, Kristin came in to check Lucas over herself, despite other nurses checking his vital signs regularly.

"Nathan, we're going to move him to another room now. Medbay's quiet at the moment, so I'll haggle another bed for you so you can stay with him." "Thanks, Kristin."

He released Lucas' hand and followed as the gurney was transferred. The teenager's leg was carefully repositioned and the IVs checked to make sure nothing had come loose. Kristin made a few notes on his chart at the foot of the bed and placed a hand on Nathan's shoulder. "He's heavily sedated and the anaesthetic won't wear off for a good few hours. Get some rest. I don't want to come back here to find you still sitting here or Lucas won't be the only one in traction." Her tone was severe but Bridger could see the twinkle in the doctor's eyes as she spoke. He glanced over at the second bed made up nearby and decided that he would soon wake up if there was any unforeseen change in the teenager's condition.

Nathan waited until the room was deserted again and he was left alone with Lucas. He reached out to run a hand through the boy's blonde hair then bent down to kiss him lightly on the forehead.

"Goodnight, kiddo. I'm right here when you need me."

He had no idea if Lucas knew that he was there at all, but the captain could only hope that somewhere beneath the beeping monitors and drugs racing through his system, the boy could sense some comfort.

Dr. Eric Wagner paced the small room which he had come to acknowledge as a prison cell but which he was constantly reminded by staff was only a halfway house until they figured out what was going on. He couldn't stand being cooped up like this. No number of days stuck down on the research station compared to one second of this comfortable, carpeted suite. It was this discomfort which highlighted how guilty he knew himself to be. He kept telling himself that he wasn't guilty, that he had no reason to be so tense, but Eric could never lie to himself. Lies and deception were exactly what had got him into this mess in the first place. He had stubbornly stood by his decision to remain silent until the UEO forced him to talk. There was no point in volunteering information.

News had come early in the morning that a cave-in had occurred at the MEDS station, resulting in only one death. The statistics were all he needed to know that Olafsson had failed in eliminating the opposition. Now it was only a matter of time before his plans were unveiled and neither scientist would have a leg to stand on. They would pick apart his plans, take away his dignity and well-earned reputation. Oh yes, it was only a matter of time now before the inevitable.

One day dragged into the next and Bridger rarely left Lucas' side even though the boy seemed to have made little progress. So, it was with some surprise that Nathan looked up from his book when a weak cough issued from the ailing figure in the bed.

"Lucas?"

He dropped the novel without a moment's thought and grabbed the boy's hand which was feebly reaching for his face. His head tossed from side to side, weakly. The teen's eyes were still closed but his brow was drawn into a furrow of pain and confusion, then the cough escalated into a strangled choke as he fought the tube running down his oesophagus.

Catching his other flailing arm, Bridger restrained Lucas as best he could.

"Lucas, it's okay. Relax, just relax now. It's all right, you're safe."

The boy struggled weakly in his arms for a moment before Bridger's voice reached him and his eyes finally slid open for the first time in days. Nathan smiled, "Hey, kiddo. You're okay."

Lucas fought his way from beneath the drug-induced haze. He recognized the man's face, but he didn't know where he was...or who he was. Suddenly, panic set in. He had no idea what was happening to him so how could he be okay. He had tried to speak but he couldn't.

Bridger stroked the boy's hand and sat down on the edge of the bed, finally grateful for Lucas' thin frame. He could see the fear etched markedly on the young face.

"There's a tube in your throat to help you breathe, so just relax."  
He wasn't quite sure what else to say. What he really needed was Dr. Westphalen.

"Will you be okay while I go and get Dr. Westphalen?"

Lucas' nod was barely perceptible but after so many days of complete immobility, Bridger had come to understand even the slightest muscular contraction with ease. He squeezed the boy's hand once more before quickly ducking out to Kristin's office.

She checked the monitors, recorded a few notes and shone a torch into the boy's eyes.

"That's much better. Now, Lucas, I'm going to remove the tube from your throat. I need you to take a really deep breath on my count and then I'll pull it out. Can you do that?"

Lucas nodded. He didn't feel strong enough to do anything but he dearly wanted to be rid of that tube and be able to speak. The doctor unhooked the machine and counted.

Lucas breathed in deeply, ignoring the sharp pain which the action inspired and Kristin quickly pulled the tube out, leaving him gagging and gasping for breath.

He felt like he couldn't breathe anymore and panic set in once more. Westphalen leaned over him, placing a placating hand on his cheek and forcing him to meet her gaze.

"Take a deep breath, in - out, all right? In and out. That's it."  
She helped him steady his erratic gasps and the boy slowly settled, much to Bridger's relief.

In the captain's head, he had imagined that Lucas would wake up with a mischievous grin and some wise crack or other. Even when he had seen the boy wheeled out of the OR hooked up to tubes with countless stitches and bruises all over his body, he couldn't reconcile him as the same boy. Now that he was awake, there was no denying that it was Lucas lying there, but it was an altered Lucas, one whom Bridger had never seen before and hoped never to see again after this incident.

He took the boy's hand in his own once again and Lucas' glazed, drowsy eyes wandered in his direction.

"Hi there."

The teen didn't respond at first but strained to speak which Kristin instantly put a stop to.

"Don't waste your energy on talking. There'll be plenty of time for that later."

Lucas nodded, tiredly, and allowed his fatigued eyelids to close. Within a moment, he was fast asleep again. Kristin stroked blonde strands of hair away from his face and looked at the relieved expression on the captain's face, quietly saying, "There, what did I tell you? He'll be right as rain before you know it."

"I hope so."

"But Nathan..."

She paused, glancing over at Lucas again, before nodding towards the door. Once they were out of the boy's earshot, whether he was asleep or not, Kristin continued, "About Cleo. I think it would be best to wait until he is stronger before we tell him what happened. It would only be counteractive at this stage. Depression is common after major trauma or operations and Lucas will be especially susceptible at this time."

Nathan nodded, his eyes wandering back to the slight form fast asleep a few feet away.

"I wish we could just keep it from him, but as soon as he's awake enough, he's going to ask."

"Then, of course you'll have to tell him, but let me know straight away. We may have to alter his medication. Now, what about his parents? Have they been contacted yet?"

Nathan looked momentarily stunned before pulling himself together.

"Damn it, I completely forgot to tell O'Neill to find them. In all the commotion..."

Kristin rubbed his arm, "...you forgot. Don't worry. You were just preoccupied with Lucas. It's only natural. I think he's more important to you than he is to his parents."

"Well, either way, I have a duty to notify them. I'd better go and sort that out."

He thumbed in Lucas' direction. "You'll let me know if..."

"Of course. Go! And Nathan?" He turned back, "Get some rest."

Commander Hitchcock was relieved to receive orders which sent her off to engineering for a while. She had been unable to concentrate fully on anything since the accident. First it had been concern for Lucas which kept her mind unfocused but now it was aggravated by the awkward situation with Ben. It was affecting her work in a way which could be dangerous and while Katie was glad to be off the bridge, she also hoped her ineptness had not been noticed by Ford.

She prided herself on doing a good job and it angered her to think that someone might be influenced by this unusual behaviour. To add to her woes, all of this was hampered by guilt that she had been kissing Ben when Lucas was fighting for his life in medbay. Her problems were so paltry alongside his own suffering and yet it consumed her with every breath she took.

It was difficult to know how to react around Ben anymore. The kiss they had shared was passionate and fiery, not the kind of kiss one could simply dismiss as a consequence of the heat of the moment. On the other hand, fraught emotions were running high on the boat currently and the close-knit bridge crew's reactions were hardly natural. Whatever had happened with Ben was nothing more than desperate comfort in troubled times, seeking a familiar shoulder to cry on.

Their friendship had strengthened since the beginning of the seaQuest's first tour, offering the pair a chance to establish a new relationship based on their common loves as opposed to the countless other factors which drove them apart in marriage. Perhaps that was exactly the problem. Without the constant reminders of how much they annoyed each other, it was easy to slip back into the emotions which they had felt way back at the academy - respect and sexual attraction triggered deep within them.

No, Katie chided herself. What was she thinking? She didn't respect Ben anymore. She cared about him, yes, but when it came to naval matters, she could outdo him on every count. So, what else could explain that kiss? The feelings which still coursed through her body now?

Throwing down the spanner she had been unsuccessfully using on some engine components, Katie decided that talking it over with Krieg once and for all was the only logical solution.


	8. Out Of The Blue - Part 8

OUT OF THE BLUE (PART EIGHT)

By Allegra

See Part One for disclaimers etc.

Nathan honestly did try to take Dr. Westphalen's advice, but rest was the last thing his body wanted to do. Stomping distractedly around his quarters, he eventually opted to call Ford in and discuss the situation at the MEDS station. Lucas might be back in the safety of the seaQuest, there were still a lot of unanswered questions and a lot of mess to be cleared up. Switching on his PAL, he ordered, "Commander Ford."  
"Yes, sir."  
"Could you come to the ward room...and bring Lieutenant O'Neill, too."  
"Yes, sir."  
Nathan ran a comb through his dishevelled hair, noting a few unwelcome new grey streaks under the brutally honest lighting of his bathroom, then directed his course to the ward room. He didn't have to wait long before the group were all assembled in front of him and the captain began to regret calling this meeting. It had seemed like a good idea a few moments ago, a way to distract himself from Lucas' condition, but now the prospect of having to actually address the situation back on the base was not a welcome one.  
"Sit down, gentlemen." He ran one hand through his hair, wracking his brains for a place to start. It was hard to organize everything which had happened in his brain when there were so many holes. He had been half way across the ocean when most of the events which precipitated the cave-in had taken place. "We need to discuss the situation back at the MEDS station. What happened to Dr. Olafsson after we left and where is he now?"  
Krieg shrugged, "He got on a shuttle back to Anchorage as far as I know."  
Bridger paused suddenly. A question which had gone unconsidered until now jumped into the forefront of his mind. "I thought the shuttles were out of order, that it was the reason why no help could be brought in after the cave-in to get our people out?"  
Ford shook his head, "Yes, that is true, but a seaQuest shuttle took Cleo's body up to the surface. He went with them and returned to the Westview Biochemical Facility."  
Bridger nodded. "So he has simply assigned himself another research position?"  
Ford flicked through the notes he had brought. "Uh, actually, he founded Westview, so I don't think any assigning was necessary."  
Nathan snapped his fingers in O'Neill's direction, his concentration already wandering back to the ailing teenager in medbay. "Oh, before I forget. O'Neill, we need to contact Lucas' parents...let them know what's happened."  
Silence descended on the room as everyone considered how ugly that job might be. The captain added, "I expect the hospital will deal with Cleo's next of kin but, since we know her parents are dead, perhaps you could put out an APB on that boy Zach. I know Lucas would want to know we tried...that we did something to track those kids down."  
O'Neill nodded, sternly. This was not going to be a good day, that is if he even succeeded in locating any of the aforementioned people. Bridger sighed, suddenly feeling fatigued by all this. He leaned back wearily in his seat; this was all too much to digest right now. There were so many matters to be dealt with but his brain simply wouldn't allow him to play captain anymore. "All right, thank you, gentlemen. That's all." Taking their cue, the two men filed towards the door.  
Ford lagged behind and stopped in the doorway, "Sir?" Nathan looked up, slowly. "I'd be more than happy to take over the general running of seaQuest for a few days if you'd like some space. Spend some time with Lucas."  
He spoke tentatively, not wanting to overstep his mark. Jonathan had spent a good portion of the past week at the boat's helm and he didn't want to look too eager to take over command. However, the captain did look terrible and the following days would not be easy on him. Lucas wasn't entirely out of the woods and it didn't take more than a glimpse in Bridger's direction to see that his stoicism was wearing thin.  
To Ford's relief, Nathan looked up and smiled, wanly. "Thank you, commander. That would be, that would be a great help."  
Jonathan nodded, curtly. "Don't mention it."

Lucas opened his eyes for the first time in twenty four hours to find himself even more confused than he had been when he woke up earlier. He was trying to sort out in his mind what the hell had happened to plant him in the hospital and whether his vague recollection of Bridger and Dr. Westphalen by his bedside talking about breathing tubes had been some kind of bizarre nightmare or not. He tentatively lifted one hand to his face, recoiling with a hissing expulsion of breath as he accidentally pressed a bit too hard on the blossoming bruise extending across his forehead. Well, at least he had ascertained that there was no tube down his throat, which didn't help him much because the strange dream had seen Kristin remove it anyway. Lucas sighed, wearily. Confusion was not a mental state he was accustomed to. In fact, he was usually the one sorting out other people's confusions and he didn't like being on the other end of it one bit.  
He stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes, realizing that he must still be on seaQuest and not transferred to an up-world hospital; he would recognize that odd, blue-tinged lighting anywhere. It was somewhere during these series of non-thoughts that he began to imagine that he actually must have suffered a bit more than a simple blow to the head, considering the numerous IVs and the backwards writing on the glass window stating ICU. Lucas paused, flexing both hands for a moment, relieved to find them both fit and well, wiggling at the end of perfectly intact arms. That ruled out not being able to use a computer keyboard ever again. He hesitated before lifting his head as much as his throbbing bruise would allow to see what was going on down at the feet end which turned out to be a plaster cast adorning his right leg.  
"Oh," he breathed, his voice barely audible and scratchy from tubes and cave dust. It wasn't really an exclamatory 'oh' and certainly not a disappointed one, more of a detached 'that isn't very nice and this isn't my leg' kind of utterance.  
That small word was all it took to awaken Bridger, who had spent a good couple of minutes trying to get hold of Lucas' parents before delegating to Tim and returning to the boy's bed side. He found himself unable to function in any other capacity than hospital mascot for the time being so decided to give in to it and brave Kristin's disapproving looks rather than spend time pacing in his quarters. "Lucas! You're awake!"  
He was surprised at his own astonishment. He had known the boy would wake up some time and it had been a good day since those blue eyes had last seen him. Lucas attempted a small smile in his captain's direction, momentarily relieved that someone had noticed and recognized him. He had been having one of those paranoid moments when you've been asleep for a ridiculously long period of time and then wake up to a silent room with only your own thoughts for company. This pleasant peace soon escalates into a genuine fear that perhaps nothing exists outside your own body or that other people can't even see you. Well, suffice to say, Lucas was very happy to see Bridger.  
"Are you in any pain?"  
Lucas shook his head cautiously, determined not to instigate another drunk party in his brain. "I'm...just numb."  
Nathan wasn't sure what else to say at this point. His initial question was going to be if Lucas remembered anything but, given the situation with Cleo, it would only bring the whole incident rushing back with unnecessary speed. It was better to give the teenager a chance to recuperate mentally and physically before anyone foisted the specifics of the accident onto him. Fortunately, Lucas saved Nathan from his floundering. "Captain, is it broken?"  
His eyes travelled tiredly to the leg cast mummifying his leg and the traction weights pulling firmly towards the foot of the bed. "You had a fractured femur and pelvic bone. The surgeons have put a plate inside your leg to hold the fragments together."  
Lucas listened mutely, digesting this information with sluggish speed. His mind processed the long-term repercussions of all these injuries, grimly wondering if he would end up with one leg shorter than the other, limping around like a pirate from one of those old movies. Great, he thought, the freak kid genius with the limp. Just what he needed to complete his reputation as the guy to hang with. "Traction?"  
The husky but enthusiastic voice of the resident doctor answered just as Nathan was about to reply. "Don't panic, it's just for a few weeks and you'll have exercises to do." Lucas didn't dare pull a face to match his emotions; it would only get him into trouble and further pain. Westphalen did all her customary routine checks of his vital signs and tugged the bedcovers further up the boy's chest.  
"How's your throat?"  
"It hurts." Lucas hadn't really considered his throat much, it seemed to be the least of his worries in comparison to the strange numb ache slowly awakening in his thigh and abdomen. Kristin angled her torch into his mouth and pulled back, sharply.  
"Well, you swallowed a great deal of dust and the tubes can occasionally cause minor irritation to the soft tissues of the throat. Nathan, I think a glass of water is in order." Bridger fumbled with the water jug by the bed and gently supported Lucas' head as he sipped the cool liquid before flopping back on the pillow.  
Feeling a bit more revitalized and somewhat more alert for the jolt which the cold water had conferred on him, Lucas asked, "What happened? I don't...remember anything."  
Nathan and Kristin looked from one to the other, both secretly hoping that the other would make the first move to reply. It was the doctor who took the lead, deciding that a woman's touch was what was needed under the circumstances. "Do you remember we were working at the MEDS station?"  
Lucas nodded, his mind already beginning to fill in the blanks with rapid speed, but he allowed Kristin to continue. "There was a cave-in and you were trapped under some rubble..."  
Lucas breathed, "Cleo? Is Cleo okay?" And there it was. The question everyone had been praying never to hear or be forced to answer. Neither adult replied, which was all the response the boy needed. Kristin reached for his hand, "I'm so sorry, Lucas."  
Lucas let his eyes rest on her hand over his for a moment before carefully extricating himself from her grasp. He didn't want anyone touching him. He couldn't comprehend the words which she was saying and he didn't want to. Suddenly, the world seemed to slow down to a stand still as if the Earth had stopped revolving on its axis and time paused to mourn the loss of another human being. How could he still be here when Cleo was dead? It felt surreal, untrue.  
Nathan sat, listlessly, beside the bed, wanting so much to put his arms around the boy but certain it was the last thing Lucas wanted. He could see the tears shining in those blue eyes and the teenager turned his face away from the scrutiny of the two adults.  
Bridger began, "Lucas..." but the boy cut him short, his voice icy and devoid of any emotion.  
"I'd like to be alone." Nathan looked to Kristin who returned a pursed lip expression of concern and got up from the edge of the bed with the captain in tow. Grief was no stranger to either of them, but somehow it was this which made them want to reach out to Lucas even more, to help him through it. But their sympathy had no place here, not now.  
Lucas contained his sorrow until he heard the door close in Bridger's wake before allowing the pent up tears to slip down his cheeks. The rest of him was completely paralysed. It was as if every cell of his body had been frozen into stasis and incapacitated him. The tears came but it was hard to know the reason. It didn't really feel like grief. Lucas couldn't imagine Cleo dead, couldn't believe that he would never see her again, couldn't get his head around any of it, yet he knew it was there. There was a torrent of guilt and pain welling up inside his passive body waiting to tear him apart. Right now, it was all he could do to think straight and then his thoughts were caught up in the tide of sedatives and pain killers, washing him into oblivion once more.

"Captain, you wanted to see me?" Nathan looked up from the files he had been idly flicking through to see Tim O'Neill paused in the doorway.  
"Yes, come in. Shut the hatch." When the lieutenant was sitting opposite him, the captain attempted a half hearted smile, asking, "Have you had any luck with Lucas' parents?"  
"No, sir. His mother is completely unreachable. I haven't even found a lead, and I ended up leaving a message for his father."  
Bridger nodded. This was exactly what he had been afraid of, that Lucas would lose Cleo and then be forced to accept the fact that neither of his parents would be there for him either. "How about Cleo's next of kin? That boy Zach."  
Tim swallowed and looked guiltily around the room, "Not much luck there either, sir. The last lead we had on him was in New York City with some friends, but that was three months ago and we've no idea where he might have headed next."  
It was a horrible fact to face, that neither Cleo nor Lucas had anybody outside of seaQuest who cared enough to keep them informed. Perhaps worse was the fact that Lucas had not even inquired about his parents or expected them to be concerned. His first thoughts had been completely detached from any familial ties. Nathan sat back in his chair, sighing deeply. He wasn't really addressing Tim when he murmured, "What a mess."  
Tim nodded slowly, unsure of whether this comment warranted a response. It was no secret how close Bridger had grown to Lucas since he had been planted aboard seaQuest two years ago and the way that the crew had been avoiding the captain since the accident was hardly coincidence. Having said that, Bridger had not exactly been accessible either, spending a great deal of his time either at the teenager's bed side or holed up in his quarters under the guise of dealing with paperwork. Commander Ford had been sensitive enough to know when to stand back and when to take the reins of the boat. He took care of most matters, only bothering the captain when it was absolutely necessary.  
Fiddling with the corner of the papers he was holding, Tim ventured, "How's he doing, captain?" Nathan looked up at his lieutenant in half surprise, his face giving the impression that he had no idea what the answer to that question was. Then, the surprise crumbled into a weary mask of fatigue as he rubbed one hand across his forehead, "Uh, he's, he's doing better...I mean, he's awake, so that's good..."  
Tim prompted, "But?"  
"But this morning I had to tell him that Cleo didn't make it and now I've got to tell him that his parents can't be found." O'Neill took in the tired resignation of the captain and chose to keep silent. There was nothing anyone could say to make this better and, until Lucas was up to seeing visitors, there was nothing anyone could do to help out either. He waited awkwardly for some kind of dismissal or further comment, but Bridger simply sat there, his face a mask of passivity. Finally, he spoke.  
"Thank you, lieutenant. Get in contact with the local hospital and find out what's happening with Cleo's body." Bridger looked around the room, trying to think of anything else which needed to be dealt with. His usually quick brain was slovenly and dull now. "You'll let me know if you make any progress."  
"Of course, sir." Tim stood to leave, then paused in the doorway, half turning back to say something before thinking better of it and making his way back to the bridge.

Lucas was grateful for the small mercy of Westphalen and Bridger leaving him alone for a few hours. It took so much energy just to save face in their presence, to stop himself from acting how he wanted to act. He could tell that they wanted to help him through his grief, to be there to support him, but that was the last thing he wanted right now. In fact, what he wanted at this exact moment was a punch bag, something he could pound into until his anger was spent. Unfortunately, the source of another major gripe was the fact that, to add injury to insult, he was physically incapacitated and wouldn't have the energy to even hit a pillow and dent it. All Lucas knew was that he was absolutely furious with someone, with the world which had rejected Cleo and which had rejected him.  
He wasn't self-pitying; he had it good here on seaQuest, better than most with his kind of background. He had never been a religious person. Science usually segregated the believers from the sceptics, and not even the knowledge that Cleo was dead made him wonder about what lay beyond this life. What phased in and out of his mind was, if a higher power genuinely existed, was it some kind of sick joke that she was made to suffer as much as she did? Was she an example to the rest of the world, a model to make everyone else grateful for the happiness they did find? What the fuck did it all mean? Where did they get off wreaking such misery?! Wasn't it enough that she should lose her parents when she was only twelve and have to look after four other children while stranded on a deep sea depot that Cleo was then thrown into a society that didn't care and drove her away again only to end her life so cruelly? It didn't matter whether her body was buried beneath the rubble of the depot or a walking shell of a human being above ground. Nobody noticed and nobody cared. They could all go to hell. Each for their own. From now on, he would ignore them all, live his own life and let everyone else fend for themselves. He would right the wrongs done to Cleo in this life, make others know what it was like to suffer. There would be no more helpful programming to save empires or prevent world crises. Lucas washed his hands of it all.  
God! He wanted to lash out at something so much, pummel someone to death and see the blood pouring from their carcasses as he finished them off. That would be justice...if only there were someone to be held accountable for these horrors. Lucas felt like he had a ball of molten lead buried deep within his stomach, leaking toxic poisons into his gut and amassing rotten bile which pumped round his body like a trail of venom consuming and tearing at his innards, plunging him into inimitable frustration. It was a worse torture than the pain he had suffered in that cave with no drugs to dull the agony which devoured him so completely that he couldn't even ask for relief.  
Lucas lay in the detestable hospital bed, certain that he would never sleep again and determined that no one should come near him again, that he would let no one in to dissipate the fuelling anger he felt. He was torn between utter exhaustion mingled with sorrows so hidden even he could not access their meaning, and the resolve to harness his feelings so he could keep Cleo's mission alive.  
He didn't know when the IV drugs got the better of him but it was not long before Lucas' will power was overcome by his weakened body and sleep claimed him. It was at this juncture that Ben Krieg poked his head around the door, slipping unnoticed into the room. He had been firmly told by Westphalen that Lucas needed plenty of rest but she had relented after the truth about Cleo had been revealed. She conceded that it might be helpful for Lucas to speak to someone who was more of a friend than a parental figure about his feelings and Ben could be the perfect foil.  
Ben hesitated in the doorway when he realized that the boy was fast asleep, not wanting to wake him, but somehow he couldn't turn away. Instead, he drew a chair up close to the bed, his eyes trailing over the still form where a frown was still firmly etched on the youthful forehead. It was difficult to imagine what was running through that genius mind to create such furrows of malcontent. Lucas was accustomed to mental tortures, to concealing his real feelings for the sake of keeping them secret. His mind was like a steel trap, impregnable to anyone, perhaps even himself, and it was frightening to imagine what might be released if the boy ever opened up to someone. The poor kid would be in therapy until kingdom come. Ben's hand hovered over Lucas' arm before deciding that it might wake him unnecessarily. Instead, he contented himself with lightly stroking a lock of blonde hair off the teenager's forehead, one finger tracking over the deepening frown marked there. The boy moved restlessly under his touch for a moment, prompting Ben to withdraw his hand rapidly, his breath catching in his throat until Lucas lay still once more.  
Krieg moved quietly towards the door, sparing a final glance in the sleeping kid's direction. There would be plenty of time to talk later when he was stronger...when both of them were.

But as is so often the case in this life, the small things we intend to do fall by the way or some obstacle presents itself which makes it difficult to carry through. In the case of Lieutenant Benjamin Krieg, this obstacle was a mixture of the boy's reaction towards him and the awkwardness he felt with expressing his own emotions. He had been reluctant even to speak to Katie about his trouble in dealing with the aftermath of the cave-in, and the promise of sitting down with Lucas to help ease the pain was more frightening to the lieutenant than any exam or Bermuda Triangle storm. He felt guilty for not following through and for being put off by Lucas' cold, indifferent attitude to everything he said, because in his heart he knew exactly why he was backing off and it had nothing to do with Lucas. As morale officer, Krieg was accustomed to helping boost the crew's moods and organize therapeutic activities when the need arose, but when he was so involved in the problem and witness to all the events which had so changed the teenager, he found it impossible to know how to respond.  
The third day of Lucas' stay in medbay, with his leg still in traction and dosed up on painkillers, Ben had stopped by to pay his respects and hopefully cheer his young friend up. Kristin had already warned the lieutenant about the boy's emotional turn for the worse since they had told him about Cleo but Krieg still wasn't prepared for the despondent teenager he found. Lucas still looked terrible, his eyes red-rimmed from fatigue and too many sleepless nights and his attitude was so lack lustre even Ben found it difficult to sustain conversation for any period of time.  
"Hey kid, how you doin'?" The question was rhetorical so he rushed on, holding up a brown paper bag. "Grapes. The real thing. I called them in specially."  
Lucas eyed the fruit suspiciously from under a hooded brow. "Thanks, Ben." His voice was quiet but curt and Krieg sat down beside the bed, slapping his hands against his knees.  
"So, what do you do for fun round here?"  
"I guess you'd have to ask someone who's having fun for the answer to that." He steadfastly avoided eye contact with his friend, tugging at the plaster holding his IV in place, peeling it and flicking it without so much as a twitch of emotion.  
"What about signing your cast?" Ben found himself flagging with the chipper routine within moments, but Lucas was important enough for him to persevere. Lucas shrugged, still not looking up as Krieg went round to the other side of the bed with a black marker kindly left by one of the nurses. "Hey, looks like I'm christening it."  
"Yeah, well I don't get a lot of visitors." The tone was cold and nonchalant and Ben wasn't entirely sure how to take the comment.  
"I think Dr. Westphalen is doing a good job of keeping everyone at bay."  
Lucas snorted, derisively, "Yeah right, I bet they're beating the door down." Suddenly losing the desire to stand signing smiley faces and jokes on the boy's leg cast, Ben decided that now was the right time to try and talk to the teenager. He sat down on the edge of the bed, grimly noting how little space the boy's small frame actually took up on the expanse of bed sheets.  
"Lucas, half this boat would be in here like a flash if they thought you wanted to see them." The boy narrowed his piercing blue eyes and stared at Krieg, slyly.  
"Funny, I don't remember sending out a 'keep clear' memo. Perhaps I was too drugged up to remember."  
Ben had never known the teenager to be so cutting in his remarks and it threw him off guard. "Lucas, come on. What's eating you?" He regretted the words the instant they had left his lips, suddenly rehashing all the callous and insensitive moments he had ever put his signature to in the past decade or so. He braced himself as he caught the disbelieving glare of the boy.  
"What's eating me?" The words came out in a sickening half laugh, humourless and cold. "I don't know, Ben, perhaps it's something to do with the fact that Cleo is dead and I'm stuck in this damned bed with a steel plate in my leg while everyone else is just getting on with their lives like nothing's happened."  
Ben watched Lucas in silence for a moment, contemplating the broken kid in front of him. The boy had endured too much for any kind words to patch up. "Lucas, I know you don't want to hear this right now, but...Cleo...It was very quick. She wouldn't have felt a thing."  
"Yeah, you're right...I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear that she's gone to a good place or that she didn't feel any pain. What the hell do you know, Ben?!"  
Ben felt his heart beating faster in his chest, afraid of what he had unleashed or of how he could keep going without sending Lucas into hysterics. "Okay, I don't know, Lucas. I've never lost anyone close to me and I've never died...but sometimes that's the way we learn to deal with death. We can never know but we have to move on, accept it and let ourselves grieve."  
Lucas' hand moved swiftly away from his IV line, his eyes flashing with sheer hatred and burning anger. "Move on?! It's been three days! I'm supposed to just move on and forget her! I'm supposed to just grieve and get it over with? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you and rain on the parade, but it's not that simple." Ben opened his mouth to try and calm the teenager but Lucas was on the war path. "You think you can just incinerate Cleo's body or give her a poignant sailor's death and then get back to normal? I loved her..."  
He stopped, his voice choking into silence, his breathing coming in ragged, barely controlled gasps. Lucas swallowed and quietly continued, disciplining his failing composure. "I'm sorry if it's not convenient for you or Captain Bridger or Dr. Westphalen for me to fall apart for a while, but I think I have earned the right, don't you?"  
Ben knew it was a rhetorical question, but in the silence which ensued, he felt obliged to say something. "Of course you have."  
Lucas almost cut him off, "And I think I've earned the right to have everyone leave me the hell alone so I can hate you all in peace."  
Ben hadn't been prepared for that response. All this time he had been convinced that Lucas needed someone to help him open up and grieve properly, allow the floodgates to burst and give the boy some kind of release. In fact, the lieutenant had been certain that, by the end of this session, Lucas would be a sobbing wreck. Not for one second had it crossed his mind that the teenager would be angry, that he would be repaying kind with hatred. "Hate us?"  
Lucas' steely, blue eyes darted around the room, unable to rest on any one object for more than a second. "Hate everyone! Hate this world for doing this to me every time! For doing it to Cleo when she had her whole life ahead of her! God, I just want to get out of here!" With Ben still in a stupor from the torrent of words hurled in his direction, Lucas threw the oximeter away from him and tore at the IV in his arm, blood pooling in his carelessness. Despite the searing pain in his leg, the boy tried to haul himself up, only managing to entangle himself in the array of equipment and traction weights. Ben pulled himself together in a matter of seconds, pushing Lucas back down onto the bed with overwhelming force which nearly knocked the breath from the teenager's lungs. The boy's strength was waning with every passing moment, giving Ben the opportunity to reach out and hit the alarm button at the head of the bed.  
"Lucas, Lucas, calm down!" Krieg could feel the wracking sobs in the thin frame pinned beneath his body as Lucas' struggles weakened, those blue eyes still seething with rage. Then, the lieutenant found himself pulled away from the bed by a nurse and orderly who restrained the teenager, one gripping his slender arm with excessive force while the other administered a sedative directly into the vein. It barely took a moment before Lucas lay passive and limp on the bed, surrendered to the nurse's will. They attempted to straighten the teenager's leg and tend to the ripped gash on his hand before one nurse turned to Krieg, accusingly, "What happened here?"  
Ben stood back, shocked. "I was just talking to him and he went wild...I don't..." He felt their castigating eyes on him and was relieved when Kristin hurried in on the commotion.  
"I'll take it from here. Thank you."  
The nurse and orderly left, begrudgingly, their faces clearly displaying their mortification that this man should be allowed to remain in the patient's room a second longer.  
Lucas' breathing was gradually evening out, his eyes closed in a mockery of peaceful slumber. "What happened, Ben?" Kristin's voice was encouraging and soothing, a calming influence on Ben's rattled nerves. He stammered, "He hates us, he said he hated everyone and then he tried to get up. He was hysterical, Kristin. I could barely control him."  
"It's okay. You did your best, Ben. Nobody can anticipate how someone will react. Whatever effect you had, I assure you it will be a step in the direction."  
Ben nodded, unsure of who was trying to convince who. "You don't think it was too soon? I mean, look at him, he's wiped out."  
Kristin glanced at the monitor read outs, raising her eyebrows. "Well, I wouldn't have let you see him if I'd known he'd react this way, but chances are this has been a few days brewing. Hopefully, it will give him some peace for a little while."  
"I hope you're right."

Tim O'Neill had been trying to get hold of someone who could tell him about Cleo's body intermittently for the past two hours. It was proving harder than talking down terrorists and the lieutenant was reaching the end of his tether. Every time he got somewhere, a do-gooding nurse would explain that the rest in line of authority was otherwise disposed and he would have to call back later. At first, Tim had resisted the urge to throw UEO weight around but eventually it had been the only way to get the hospital's attention. Finally, he was through directly to the mortician.  
"This is Lieutenant O'Neill from the UEO seaQuest. Could you give us the status on a Cleo Walker?"  
The mortician was a large, barrel-chested man with greasy dark hair which fell in oily waves across his broad forehead. His eyes were sunken and wide-set, like currents in uncooked dough. When he moved, a few of his many chins wobbled like unsightly blamanche. Tim found it mutually fascinating and repulsive, and tried to focus on getting the information Captain Bridger had requested. The mortician flicked through the papers beside him. "Ah yes, young girl who was brought in a few days ago?"  
"Yes."  
The rotund man shook his head, "Uh, she was autopsied and cremated yesterday."  
Tim swallowed hard. Bridger had not explained what he wanted with the information, but the lieutenant was certain that this was not going to be welcome news. Although he hadn't been on the MEDS station himself, Tim was aware how close Lucas had been to Cleo and it was likely that Bridger wanted to pay some last respects on the boy's behalf. "What happened to her ashes?"  
"They were scattered over the cliff near Alice churchyard and her name will be added to the plaque by the church door with the next batch." The mortician looked up at Tim, clearly registering the defeated expression on O'Neill's face. "She was a pretty young thing."  
Tim nodded, solemnly. "Yes, she was."  
"It's always hard when he takes the young ones."  
The lieutenant cleared his throat. "And the verdict of the autopsy?" There was further page rustling and a couple of grim sounding mumbles. "Miss Walker had suffered massive internal injuries. Her left lung and rib cage were completely crushed and she also suffered a cerebral haemorrhage. Given the circumstances of her death, there was nothing unusual in her injuries." Tim nodded, noting down a few of the particulars to pass onto Bridger. As if unsure of how to fill the time, the mortician murmured, "No family. Poor kid. That's a tragedy. Did you know her well?"  
Tim looked up, awkwardly. "No." Quickly changing the subject, he briskly asked, "Can you send over a copy of your report?"  
"Yes, of course, lieutenant."  
"Thank you for your help." The mortician opened his mouth as if to speak but Tim cut the line dead before anything else could be said. For some reason, he suddenly couldn't stomach the prospect of hearing the man's apologies for Cleo's death. Perhaps it was guilt or simply sorrow, but Tim just wanted to wash his hands of the entire case. First though, he had to face Bridger.

It wasn't long before the entire boat seemed to know about the scuffle between Lucas and Ben, partially aided by the fact that Captain Bridger was clearly miles away when it came to doing his job and anxiety was wearing him down. In light of the teenager's reaction to the incident, Kristin had decided to do the rounds of the boat in order to speak to anyone involved with the rescue and recovery mission. No matter how removed from the actual cave-in they might have been, it was her duty to ensure that any psychological fallout from the station was dealt with promptly. Ben had been surprisingly open, mainly thanks to Commander Hitchcock for taking him firmly under her wing and acting as confidante. Chief Crocker was releasing his emotions in a healthy torrent of anger directed at Dr. Wagner while most of the other crew members had been in so little contact with the events that Westphalen's job was over quickly. Nathan had spoken to her at length about all kinds of issues but his actions had been more than enough evidence of his emotional state. While he was clearly upset, his feelings were perfectly natural and Commander Ford's smooth transition to acting captain meant that there was no cause for concern as to whether Bridger was fit to command.  
Lucas, on the other hand, had been despondent and difficult to talk to since his outburst and, as the days passed, Kristin's concern grew. It was natural for people to react strangely when mourning but Lucas was showing no signs of improving. He seemed to be sinking deeper into a mire of despair, closing himself off from his comrades and retreating into territory where no words or touch could reach him. She had tried speaking to him and discussing her own losses to see if it helped him but nothing made any impact. Lucas sat passive and sullen throughout. Her words fell on deaf ears, barely registering in his mind let alone releasing his grief.  
The one benefit of his decision to cut himself off from the rest of the boat was that Lucas threw himself into exercising his leg and getting back on his feet. Kristin hoped that this in itself would lighten the teenager's depression. Movement would quickly see his release from medbay and back to his own quarters, not to mention the subsequent decrease in his drug intake which would balance out the mood swings more effectively as he returned to normal. In light of this, the doctor decided not to push Lucas into talking about Cleo, praying that Nature would take her own course and aid him through the difficult weeks ahead.  
It was disconcerting to watch the boy pushing himself to his physical limit day in and day out, sweat beading his brow and those blue eyes burning with determined concentration. Lucas refused to rest, collapsing into an exhausted heap each evening after supper. His energy levels astounded everyone and yet he never seemed to burn himself out, simply slipping from one day to the next without complaint, exercising his muscles with increasing vigour. He listened to doctors and nurses alike chiding him to stop and rest, but whenever the teenager submitted himself to their examinations, his prognosis was positive. There was little anyone could say or do to impact his stubborn determination to get well. However, Lucas rarely spoke to anyone at length, sticking to simple niceties and innocuous comments as if to ensure that no one could probe further than he was willing. He was civil to everyone who dropped by to visit but once information had been exchanged there wasn't much anyone could do to hold a conversation. It was as the teenager could not react in a social situation anymore, that the blow of Cleo's death had taken away any ability he once possessed to talk generally with those around him.  
After a week of this, Kristin came to give her daily examination of Lucas' leg and it took nearly all her energy just to get the boy to lie down. "Lucas, this shouldn't take long. Besides, you should rest. It isn't healthy to push your body this hard. Healing takes time not just exercise."  
Lucas looked at her, miserably, an expression no one had seen in him for a long time. "I don't care. It's something to do and it doesn't hurt."  
Kristin wasn't sure what her face was showing, but the teenager instantly hardened as if afraid that she was going to try and hug him or something. Acknowledging this, the doctor went back to his leg and resumed her lecture. "Muscles get tired and eventually it is counterproductive to push further. They begin to wear rather than grow stronger so you must..."  
Her voice trailed off as she stared at his leg, which had been removed from the cast two days earlier. The bruising which had peppered his skin had completely disappeared and the stitches marking where the metal plate had been inserted into his thigh were also invisible. Kristin gently lifted the leg, unable to believe her own eyes and determined to find where the incision had been made. This was impossible. What was going on? No matter which way she turned it, there was not a single mark on the teenager's leg. Where only the previous day there had been barely healed wounds, contusions, and swelling, suddenly there was nothing. Lucas' leg appeared to be completely healed. "My God!"  
Lucas looked away from the satellite link he had been watching and down at his leg. Raising himself up on his elbows, he stared down with a mixture of vague disbelief. Kristin looked at him as if he were some kind of freak. "Lucas?" The boy turned his gaze on her, realizing that the doctor was actually looking to him for an explanation, which he was almost embarrassed to admit he couldn't supply. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't think of anything to say. Sitting up, he ran his hands over his right thigh, disbelieving that this could be his own body he was touching, the same body which had been so hideously mutilated less than two weeks ago.  
Kristin watched the teenager's face with a mixture of curiosity and concern. He seemed genuinely stumped about the cause of this miraculous healing process despite the fact that he had been pushing himself voraciously for days. However, more worrying than that was the confused expression on his face. Lucas had been distant and difficult to approach in any way since the news of Cleo's death. His moods were constantly in flux which concerned Kristin and Nathan greatly. His mental health was still a big question mark and the fearful frown which had descended across that youthful brow was more perturbing even than the extraordinary recovery of his leg. Westphalen quickly deduced that she needed to reassure him that there was nothing to worry about before further agitation set in.  
"It looks like you'll be out of medbay quicker than we thought. Your leg seems to have completely healed." She tried to maintain a positive tone with a sprinkling of indifference as if it were the most natural occurrence ever. Lucas looked up at her in puzzlement, "What?"  
"I'll run a few final tests and then I expect you can get back to your quarters this afternoon. How does that sound? Maybe I'll even see what we can do about some chocolate cake."  
Kristin desperately hoped the boy would latch onto the positive aspects of the situation rather than dwell on the somewhat frightening recovery he had made. The complete lack of any evidence that his upper leg had been completely crushed by rock was compelling but the last thing Lucas needed was to consider himself some kind of freak with supernatural healing energy.  
Lucas simply stared at Westphalen as if she had just arrived from another planet. How could she just stand there talking about chocolate cake when he had just developed a mutant power. If he could only have one wish in this life, it was to be a normal kid who wasn't set apart from the rest of the population by someone splashing in the gene pool. As if it wasn't hard enough to adjust to being a seventeen year old with a Ph.D. and countless other credits to his name without adding this to the list of reasons to put him on a pedestal. Why did these things always happen to him? One minute he had his entire life mapped out ahead of him, leaving seaQuest with Cleo and starting life afresh as a new person, devoid of the ties which bound him to the Wolenczak name and all its expectations. Now, that life had been buried in rubble with the one person who could have set him free, offering him a paltry existence in return along with the added bonus of making sure he would never make friends. Mutants and freaks were always doomed to be loners; he had learned that lesson the hard way.  
A voice which he was surprised to realize was his own asked, "What's happening to me?"  
Dr. Westphalen looked up from the print out which was pouring from one of the bed side monitors. Lucas had barely spoken to her for days, let alone asked anything of her. The lost look on his face reminded her of how lonely he must truly be, how isolating his grief made him. It was difficult enough for any adult to lose a loved one even when they were surrounded by others who shared their grief and could provide mutual comfort. It was almost inconceivable to imagine how hard it must be for a teenager with barely any friends whom he genuinely trusted and not a single soul who shared his loss. Cleo had been as friendless as Lucas felt in this world and there were few who would mourn her passing. He alone bore the burden of her death, savagely shaking up his life and firmly putting him back in his place. As Kristin looked over at the defeated boy, she knew instantly what he was thinking, that he didn't deserve happiness, that he didn't deserve a break. She sat down at the head of the bed beside Lucas and squeezed him close to her, feeling the narrow shoulders sagging with pent up sorrow. "Oh, Lucas."  
The doctor drew his head against her chest, listening to the laboured breathing of someone trying hard not to cry, his voice choked with emotion as he repeated the question. "What's happening to me?" Kristin sighed, wishing she could gather him up in her arms and take him away from everything which had ever hurt him and turned him into the shell he had become.  
"I don't know, but it's going to be okay. The powers of rejuvenation are still a mystery even to medical scientists. People are told they'll never walk again and, by some indecipherable, perhaps even spiritual, means, they stand up and walk. It doesn't make you any different. You're still the same old Lucas...and we all still love you more than anything in the world."  
She kissed the top of his head lightly, hoping that the love emanating from her body was somehow getting through to him. "Everything's going to be all right, I promise."  
She hushed him, her voice cooing the boy into content silence. After what might have been minutes or only seconds, Kristin looked down at the teenager gently cradled in her arms and felt her heart swell with emotion as she realized that he was fast asleep. His breath came in deep, even strides and the doctor carefully slid her body down the bed a bit to make herself more comfortable, hoping that no one interrupted them. Lucas needed this more than anything else and nothing was going to get in her way of providing it.

"Sir, have you got a moment?" Krieg stood in the doorway of Bridger's quarters, hands clasped uncertainly in front of him. He had been waiting a considerable amount of time before taxing his captain with queries, but it had been over a week since the accident and some action needed to be taken. A team had been sent back to the MEDS station to examine the cause of collapse but the amount of debris made it difficult to assess anything beyond preliminary comments. Most of the information was useless and the majority of the team had already concluded that it was a random cave-in due to the mining of an area which was near a fault line anyway. Ben, however, had other suspicions and he knew that Dr. Westphalen had been much too preoccupied with Lucas and her psychological profiles of the seaQuest crew to think about it.  
"Yes, lieutenant. Take a seat." He gestured to the opposite chair and Krieg sat down, stiffly. He really didn't want to be having this conversation, especially considering the inevitable reaction Bridger would have. They would demand justice for the horrific results of the cave-in, for Cleo's death and Lucas' injuries, but it was the captain's personal response which Krieg was anticipating. "What's up?"  
"I wanted to speak to you about the, uh, incident last week."  
Nathan nodded, severely. He knew that Ben was concerned but he was starting to tire of the constant questions about how Lucas was doing and what action was being taken against Wagner when Bridger could provide no answers or words of assurance. "Ah, yes. So far the team's investigations have been pretty fruitless. I don't know how long it will be before they uncover anything useful, if they ever do." Ben tugged lightly at the ends of his sleeves, licking his lips which had mysteriously become very parched. "No, actually, I meant that I had something to tell you." Bridger widened his eyes in interested surprise. "Go on."  
"Well, after you all left, Lucas had a theory about the polychromatite but we didn't have time to take it further before the whole structure collapsed." Krieg looked up at the captain, his brain struggling to find the appropriate words which wouldn't instigate an inexorable explosion.  
Nathan prompted, "What kind of theory?"  
"He ran some tests with Westphalen and..."  
"What's the theory, lieutenant?" The captain's voice was snappy and impatient which was not a good sign, but Krieg battled on regardless. "I didn't see any evidence of it myself but Lucas believed that there was nothing manufactured in that rock at all. He was convinced that it was naturally occurring and that no one, not even Wagner and Olafsson, could have tampered with the structure of the samples we were taking."  
"You mean, you think Wagner and Olafsson have been lying all along?"  
"That's what Lucas believed - yes. But the point I'm trying to make is that he made this discovery just hours before the cave-in occurred."  
Nathan leaned forward in his chair, his brain racing over Ben's words and whipping up a whirl of conflicting emotions as the sequence of events clicked into place. "And you think the two are related? That Olafsson is soliciting with Wagner on this and Lucas got too close?"  
Ben nodded, solemnly. "I think...we were supposed to die in there. All of us." Neither spoke further. Ben waited in silence for Bridger to dismiss him or ask for more information, but it was clear that all of this was coming as a significant shock. For once, the lieutenant had the tact to know when to take his cue. He decided to turn his steps towards medbay and let Kristin know the situation. He might try and drop in on Lucas but it became increasingly difficult to say anything to the teenager anymore and, to be frank, Krieg's emotions were fraying at the edges after speaking to Bridger.  
Ben pushed open the doors and ambled over to the desk. "Is Dr. Westphalen around?"  
The young nurse looked up from her records with a thunderous expression which instantly melted as Krieg turned on his charm and offered her the most winning smile he could muster. There were still a fair few benefits of being a chronic flirt. It meant that he could even do it on command, contrary to whatever he was feeling inside. "Oh, I think she's in bay three. I could go..."  
"With Lucas Wolenczak?"  
The nurse glanced down at the list beside her, "Yes, that's right."  
Krieg rapped his knuckles against the counter, "Don't worry. I was going to drop by the kid anyway. I'll speak to her there." The nurse smiled in return and watched Ben as he headed in the direction of Lucas' room, tilting her head slightly to assess for herself whether the rumours about his ass were true. Maybe another day she could squeeze a date out of him for shore leave.

Ben peered through the glass window of his friend's room and was surprised to find not the physiotherapy session he had expected but two figures curled up on the bed together, looking more like a mother and son than doctor and patient. He paused with his hand over the door knob. Perhaps now was not the time to speak to Kristin about the MEDS station. In fact, he was certain of it. Just looking at the peaceful forms lying contentedly together, fitting one another's bodies like clay moulded in God's own palm, Krieg knew that such comforts were what Lucas needed more than anything else.  
He was just about to move away when a movement from the bed caught his attention and Kristin glimpsed him through the window, a small smile playing across her lips. She beckoned him inside and Ben waited patiently as she extricated herself from the tangle of legs and arms, ensuring that Lucas did not wake, and pulled a blanket from the foot of the bed over the boy's body. She kissed him once before leading the way back out into the hall.  
Ben waited until they were sufficiently removed from the room before saying, "Well, that's a sight I didn't expect to see in a while."  
Kristin raised her eyebrows, "You and me both. I was getting so worried about him."  
"How's he doing otherwise, physically I mean?" Westphalen closed the door of her office behind them and sat down on the edge of her desk.  
"That's just the problem. The strangest thing occurred when I went to check on him earlier. I examined his leg and, you're not going to believe this, but there is not a single mark on his leg."  
Ben stared at her in disbelief. He wasn't really digesting her words, only absorbing them as if it was technical jargon which he couldn't hope to understand. "What do you mean?"  
"Well, you saw his leg when we arrived. It was mess, completely mangled. Then, less than two weeks later, he's completely healed. There are no scars, no bruising, nothing."  
Ben simply continued to stare, a half smile of uncertainty crossing his face. Was this a joke? "That's impossible. How can that be?"  
Kristin opened her hands in an empty gesture of ignorance. "I don't know. I can't explain it. I've run a few tests and I've been monitoring him twice daily since he began physiotherapy. His progress was entirely natural until today. I have to admit that I'm at a loss. I've seen a lot of strange things in my time, most since I boarded this boat, but there's no rational explanation for Lucas' recovery. I shall express my finds to the captain but, without anything unusual in the boy's condition, I'll have to release him." She sighed, wearily. "To top it off, Lucas took it quite hard. It unsettled him and, quite frankly, the last thing he needs is another problem to deal with."  
"Well, he's okay physically. That's got to be a good sign, right?"  
"Yes, I suppose so." They sat in silence for a moment before Kristin slapped her hands lightly against her thighs. "Would you like a coffee?"  
Krieg breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad to be off the Lucas topic, not because he didn't care, but because he was only here to deliver more bad news and the quicker he got it over with the better. She reached for the pot. "It's a bit old."  
"The stronger the better." He savoured the bitter liquid for a long second before venturing, "Actually, Kristin, I wanted to talk to you about the cave-in."  
Kristin looked up with cautious interest from behind her steaming mug of coffee. "Oh?"  
"Yeah. I was with Bridger just now, talking about Lucas' theory." He looked at the doctor's blank face for a second, "You know, the theory he had about Wagner. I mean, it happened literally just before the cave-in happened. I don't know about you, but the more I think about it, the more I reckon the kid had a valid point."  
"What did Nathan say?"  
"Not much. I think he was too shocked to fully comprehend what I was saying...but I figured you'd want to know."  
Kristin nodded, grimly. "Tell me, lieutenant, do you agree with Lucas? Do you honestly think that Wagner was double bluffing? Saying he mutated this polychromatite just as a cover for a naturally occurring mineral he couldn't explain?"  
Krieg sat forward awkwardly in his chair. "Well, I'm no expert, but no one could deny Wagner and Olafsson would make a bucket load of money from this."  
Kristin suddenly grew more animated, "Yes, but who would gamble so much, take such a huge and inevitable risk of ultimate discovery? I mean, they must have known that it was only a matter of time before the rock supply ran low and they were forced to admit that they couldn't manufacture any more, that it was a hoax!"  
Krieg shrugged, "Yeah, but greed makes men fools, Kristin. I'm not saying I would do the same thing in their place but I can imagine reaching that point. One can only imagine they thought through how long the rock supplies would last before some action had to be taken."  
Westphalen shuddered as she put down her cup and stared through the window into the bustling medbay. "It sends shivers down my spine when I think how we trusted those people. We ate breakfast with Olafsson, chatted over our experiments while all the time he was plotting our deaths, drawing us into the trap he'd set up. I mean, I never liked him but...this?"  
"I know. What gets me is that...we were all supposed to die in there, not just Cleo, not just Lucas. No one was ever expected to get to us in time."  
"Where's Olafsson now?"  
Krieg laughed, humourlessly. "He managed to squeeze himself back on the shuttle to Anchorage. I'd say he's having a party as we speak, and until we've got some proof, we can't touch him."  
Kristin's eyes widened suddenly in fear and horrifying realization. "My God, Lucas."  
Krieg looked up, fearfully. "What about him?"  
"Cleo." The doctor turned glittering hazel eyes on the lieutenant, her face drawn into gaunt lines. "What if Cleo was in on it, too? She was the only other person with the access codes to the mine, someone Wagner clearly trusted." Kristin held Krieg's gaze with her own, fiercely demanding him to listen. "He can't know about this. I don't want him to suffer any more."  
Ben swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the unwelcome lump in his throat. "But, Cleo told us how she got involved. Maybe she was duped just as we were."  
Kristin's eyes wandered back to the door of Lucas' room, "I hope you're right, I truly do, but...there are just so many questions, so many coincidences. Think about it. Lucas was the one most likely to uncover their secret, the one who needed to be distracted. Then, by some twist of fate, Cleo happens to be on the base...the only other person privy to their plans, the only person who was on board as lackey but with all the right codes. Why would you draft in someone with so little experience, someone who could simply be a potential leak, and then give them all the codes?"  
"You think she was planted there to put us off the scent, too?" Kristin widened her eyes, sceptically. Ben nodded, sourly. Westphalen was right...perhaps they did have something to worry about after all. Following her gaze over to bay three, he murmured, "That poor kid. What else does he have to go through before its enough?"

Ben was grateful to be able to close the door on the rest of the world and all its myriad of problems for a few short hours and he almost relished the sound of the hatch wheel spinning shut under his hand. So, it was not exactly surprising when he almost had a heart attack as he whirled round to see Commander Hitchcock sitting on a chair in the centre of the room. "Katie!"  
She smiled and then grimaced slightly, looking around her. "It was the only remotely clean place I could find to sit."  
Ben stammered, "What did you want?" The commander felt a little taken aback by this question. Okay, so she really didn't want him to jump on her or anything, but she had imagined her ex's greeting to be a bit more enthusiastic. It knocked her off balance to find him so disinterested in her presence all of a sudden. She chided herself for being so selfish; instead, she should be grateful that he was going to make this easier. "I think we need to talk. We need to sort out, you know, what happened before." Ben felt his heart sink a bit in his chest. He appreciated Katie being around to support him more than anything else and he realized that kiss had been a mistake but, after the conversation he had just shared with Dr. Westphalen, the last thing he wanted was to deal with it. "Oh, Katie, can't we do this some other..."  
Misinterpreting his motives, she firmly interrupted, "No, Ben! What happened was a mistake and I want it behind us."  
"Fine." Ben tightened his jaw, waiting out her torrid speech about where their relationship was headed and where it should stay. "I still love you but we both know it wouldn't work anymore. That kiss was a heat of the moment thing triggered by the accident and now it's over. We have to move past it and forget it ever happened. Okay?"  
Ben waved his hands in surrender, "Yeah, yeah, okay! I agree!" Katie was surprised by this rapid accordance. She had expected a short protest at the very least and it was a bit disheartening to feel so disposable. Perhaps she had read more into that kiss than he had. Slowly, it dawned on the commander that Krieg was looking much the worse for wear. "Hey, Ben, what's the matter?"  
Picking his way over the junk littering his room, Ben sat down on the bed. "Oh, don't ask." Katie said nothing but when he looked up, the lieutenant could see the inquisitive, anxious look in her eyes, and he relented. "I just spent the past few hours talking to Bridger and then Kristin about Lucas' theory about the polychromatite. Did you hear about that?"  
Katie nodded and sat down beside him. "Yes, Commander Ford relayed the information from the captain earlier. I only found out about half an hour ago. I didn't know you were involved though."  
Ben nodded, glumly. "Well, I am. If you hadn't noticed, Lucas isn't really up to talking for himself at the moment." He shot an apologetic smile in her direction for his harsh tone. "Anyway, I'm just beat. There's so much going on in my head right now. I don't know what to feel anymore. I mean, we were all supposed to die, Cleo could have been involved with Wagner, and as for Olafsson...There are just too many questions, too many variables." He paused, staring at a box of cotton socks he had been planning to flog amongst the crew. Ben didn't even feel like this was his room anymore. The old wheeler-dealing Benjamin Krieg was long gone. He couldn't imagine being able to trade with people anymore, offer exclusive prices on complete junk, spend hours negotiating with underhand crooks for a bit of extra cash. It was all alien now.  
Katie tried to cheer him up. "Everyone feels that way sometimes, Ben. But I can promise you one thing, it will stop. It will all come to an end sooner or later and everything will get back to normal, no matter how unbelievable it might seem now."  
"I wish I could believe that."  
Katie nudged his shoulder with her own, "Why don't you get some sleep?" Ben made no effort to move. "Come on, I'll tuck you in. I'll even grab a hot chocolate from the mess if you want." He grumbled and she laughed, swinging his legs up onto the bed and taking off his shoes for him. Ben lay his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes. Sheer bliss. Nothing beat a good feather pillow. Barely had Katie made her way over to the door before she heard the cadence of a snore emanating from the bed. Deciding to snag a hot chocolate for herself instead, she pulled the door gently closed behind her.


	9. Out Of The Blue - Part 9

OUT OF THE BLUE (Part 9)  
By Allegra 

DISCLAIMERS ETC. - See Part 1

The aqua tubes cast shadowing ripples across mammal engineering, a kind of osmotic transition from water to air, spreading its liquid arms across in a soothing undulation. The light danced in mockery of the misery which was insurrected within the teenager sitting forlornly in front of his computer, monitor switched off.

Lucas stared at the blank screen or rather at his weakened face reflected there. God, how he hated that face, the body which went with it. All just meaningless layers of muscle and bone, his every thought a product of chemicals, synapses and currents. Everything boiled down to this one pathetic vessel, good for nothing. What was touch but a message from skin to brain? What were his emotions except hormonal imbalances? Yet, here he was, subjected to their every whim, told to believe that he existed, that there was a Lucas Wolenczak in there somewhere. The boy found himself leaning forward involuntarily to scrutinize the half-conceived image, eyes narrowing in loathing. He was miserable...so why couldn't he just shut it off? Whose sick joke was it that he could be a genius with the ability to unscramble any motherboard, build something from a pile of metal components, recreate people's lives with the touch of a button in any database, but he was unable to rearrange the chemicals in his brain? He couldn't tell this bag of bones that his emotions were redundant, that slabs of meat didn't emote, that there was nothing beyond the physical. His feelings didn't have a place or frame, they were empty air, faker than the pixels constituting the dragons Lucas fought in 'Reptilian Attack'.

He traced one hand over his forehead, down his cheek where a bruise had blossomed only days earlier but now bore no mark. Lucas told himself that there was no sensation, that the real Lucas was numb to this touch. Suddenly, a rip of anger tore through him and he dug his nails reflexively into his flesh. Perhaps the real him would show his cowardly face if he could just get through this damned carcass. With a hissing breath, the teenager dragged his hand away. The only result of that experiment would be questions and sympathy from Dr. Westphalen and Captain Bridger. Eternal questions which he didn't want to answer and hideous, reprehensible attempts at comfort to ease a pain Lucas could deal with by himself. He was disgusted at himself for not even being able to scratch his own skin for fear of having to speak to any one of those people who called themselves his friend.

This body was a conspiracy against him, thin and feeble but somehow indestructible. He had suffered at his father's hands, countless injuries and broken bones, but still he went on. The spontaneous healing of his leg had been the final spade of earth on his coffin which sealed him into this world. Lucas so desperately wanted to escape from the prison he found himself in, a prison which only breaking this body would achieve. Some mysterious power once again staid his hand, refused to let him go. What was it that Darwin had told the Regulator had said about spherical evolution? That the centre of the universe was in us? What a joke.

He hated himself even more for letting Westphalen get to him yesterday. He had been resolved, determined to keep them at arm's length, and Lucas had truly believed himself ready to divorce himself from human touch forever. Then, with one look, with one weak panic over his leg, his carefully, methodically constructed walls had crumbled all around him. He had been a fool, an idiot, but it was getting easier to rebuild those walls. The bricks were ready made, they simply needed to be cemented into place this time.

The next two days passed painfully slowly, with Lucas eventually being called in to see Captain Bridger about the incident at the MEDS station. It had been a difficult decision for the captain and he had spoken at length to Krieg and Kristin in the hope of finding enough information which might save bringing Lucas back into the mess. However, it was clear that there was no other option than to ask the teenager what he had found and what made him think that the polychromatite was not manufactured at all and to provide his own version of events. If they were going to accuse Olafsson and Wagner, they would have to provide solid evidence and a detailed understanding of the events witnessed at the station.

Nathan had made a personal note to himself not to mention anything about Lucas' leg. Kristin had informed him of the miraculous recovery but, short of sending the boy off to some research lab where he would be prodded and poked to find out where these bizarre regenerative powers stemmed from, the matter would have to left alone. To be perfectly honest, the captain was relieved that Westphalen had overseen the bulk of the teenager's physiotherapy because it meant there was a minimal amount of fuss. Only he and Lieutenant Krieg were party to the truth and now they would simply ignore it. It was too much to expect Lucas to go through anything else.

Although he was fine physically, the adults could not help but be taken aback when Lucas entered the ward room looking like a thunder cloud. Nathan pretended not to notice, hoping the teenager would lighten a little if nobody drew attention to him. Since the accident, he had responded fairly well as long as nobody tried to talk to him about Cleo or attempted to get close. So far, everyone had obliged, but the captain was reaching breaking point.  
"Lucas, take a seat."  
The boy sat down, sullenly, his eyes resting on inanimate objects but never on a face. Realizing this was the closest he'd get to full attention, Bridger proceeded. "I know this is a sore subject for you, for all of us, but it is imperative that we find out exactly what you know about that mine. So, I thought we'd start with everything you can remember about what your notes said."

Lucas felt his stomach twist violently with the last words. Like a gun's trigger, the image of Cleo and his notes clutched in her hands just as the first rocks began to fall swam across the teenager's mind. He struggled to suppress his emotions and engrossed the other half of his mind in trying to remember the facts. The discussion rambled between Kristin and Lucas with an occasional statement by Krieg who had been in close proximity to their investigations while on the base.

Nathan sat back and, for the first time in weeks, actually savoured the sight of Lucas arguing loudly with Westphalen and Ben, his voice animated and stubborn. Eventually, the scientists reached similar conclusions that there simply was no evidence whatsoever that Wagner had tampered with the rock. Whatever they had found there was the result of perhaps a thousand years' worth of pressure, heat and compression. When Kristin and Krieg left the room, there was not a doubt in their minds that Wagner and Olafsson had been lying and that UEO action needed to be taken immediately to bring them to justice.

Nathan glanced through the notes he had been making and looked up in surprise when he realized that Lucas was still sitting at the table, strategically balancing paperclips around the edge of his glass of water. Brow furrowed in concentration, Bridger wasn't sure quite how to read the situation. The boy had steered clear of every other human being since the accident, talking to anyone who happened to drop by but never seeking someone out. Was he sitting across from the captain because he wanted a friend or because he was too absorbed in his own thoughts? There was only one way to find out.  
"Lucas? I'm ordering some new hardware for Dr. Westphalen. Is there anything you want before I send out the request form?"  
Lucas didn't look up from his balancing trick, "No, thanks."  
Bridger nodded, trying to think of something appropriate to say which wasn't asking how the boy felt or whether he had anything to get off his chest. Lucas saved him the effort by sitting back in his chair, the frown never wavering. "What will happen to Wagner and Dr. Olafsson now?"  
"The UEO will set up a hearing and, unless they plead guilty, we'll probably be called to testify."  
"Do you think they will...plead guilty, I mean?"  
Nathan paused; he was wondering where this conversation was headed. "I don't know. Without proof of their involvement, I doubt they would be foolish enough to perpetuate the lie." Lucas' face was completely unreadable. Bridger put aside his notes and moved round to the boy, sitting on the edge of the table near enough to talk but far enough away not to alarm him.  
"Don't worry, you'll get justice."  
At this, Lucas looked up at him, startling the captain into the acknowledgement of how long it had been since those piercing blue eyes had locked with his. "Justice? For what?"  
His voice did not waver, it was steady and questioning. Nathan stumbled over the explanation forged in his mind, "Justice for what happened to you, for Cleo."  
Lucas expression contorted crudely into anger and he glared from beneath a hooded brow then, as if it had all been an illusion, his face relaxed into complete indifference. "I guess."  
Bridger had no idea how to react to this person. He had lain awake for nights trying to fathom what the boy must be going through, how he could reach him without hurting him more, but nothing could have prepared him for this. What did you say to someone who didn't even seem to care whether the people who were responsible for his girlfriend's horrible death or for his own mutilation were brought to justice?  
"Lucas, I don't understand you. I want to. I want to help you get through this. God knows I took it hard when Carol died but...isn't there anything I can do for you?"

Lucas listened to the words issuing from his captain's lips but somehow they didn't make any sense to him. They weren't words to react to, words to take to heart and he wasn't sure if he wanted to. There were moments were the chinks in his armour allowed trickles of feeling to bleed through and it took all his will power to lock them out. He took a perverse pleasure in the knowledge that it was becoming so much easier to achieve now. "No, I don't think so."

Nathan knew better than to push further, even though he wanted nothing more than to whisk Lucas away from here and everything bad which had ever happened to him. He fought the paternal emotions and for a while he honestly believed that he had won. The youngster stood up and looked towards the door as if wondering whether to leave or stay when Bridger spontaneously asked, "Lucas, can I, can I touch you?" The boy stared at him, his mouth half open as if to speak but no words came out. His eyes were a cacophony of conflicting emotions - horror, sadness, hope, fear, apprehension, shimmering with forming tears. Nathan made a move towards him and Lucas staggered back, "I...no, I..." In an instant he was out the door and Bridger could hear his feet pounding against the metal corridors into the distance.

"Damn!" He cursed his stupidity. A minute ago that boy might have spoken to him, might have opened up, but as always, he had pushed too far and sent Lucas spinning in the opposite direction.

Lucas rounded the corner and slipped into his room with a sigh of relief. He had seen the querying looks sent in his direction as he had blundered from the ward room, slamming into one crewman after another in an effort to get back to the one place he could call his. Breathing heavily, he looked anxiously around himself, trying to steady his whirling mind. He couldn't quite comprehend what the captain had been trying to do or what he was feeling now. It was as if a hurricane had thundered across his carefully plotted garden and whipped it into a frenzy of chaos which he couldn't control, wreaking everything in its path which he had ordered. This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen. He had made a decision to keep everyone away from him from now on, so why was that so difficult to adhere to?

Lucas jumped when there was a blunt knock at the hatch door. "Go away."  
He wasn't really up to talking to anyone and he prayed it wouldn't be Bridger. That was the last person he wanted to see right now, but Lucas assured himself that the captain had shown great diplomacy in most departments so perhaps he'd know better than to come knocking. The door swung open to reveal Benjamin Krieg, his customary wicked smile playing across his lips. He clutched a disk in one hand,  
"Hey, kid. You got a minute?"  
Lucas didn't say anything. He was suspicious of why Ben would come by his room when they had only just seen each other in the ward room. Krieg took the boy's silence for a 'yes' and planted himself on the chair opposite. His tone sobered, abruptly. "I figured you could use some cheering up, so I brought ya something." He passed Lucas the disk which the boy eyed for a moment before putting it down beside him on the bed. "Thanks."  
"And there's something else." Ben looked cursively around the room, weighing up the right way to say what he meant. "I know you don't want to talk about what happened...and it's none of my business really but...it's important to me that you know this."

He paused and Lucas wondered if the lieutenant could hear his heart thumping through his chest. He was trying so hard to control his emotions and he wasn't sure if he could cope with another well-meaning talk. It was as if God had sent a plague of guilt on the entire crew, willing them to make amends and try to draw the teenager out of his shell. Well, Lucas thought, we'll see who wins this round. Not trusting himself to speak, he simply tried to block out the words and think of something else, anything which might help him through this.  
"All that stuff we were saying about the cave-in and the MEDS' involvement, whatever we said, I want you to know that I don't think Cleo was involved."  
Lucas started, "What?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing.  
Krieg went on, digging his hole steadily deeper. "I'm sure Kristin doesn't either. I know I was snappy with Cleo on the base and I almost accused her but..."  
Lucas heard a hollow laugh which he registered was issuing from his own throat. "You all thought Cleo was lying to us? That she was leading us on?! I can't believe I'm hearing this."  
Krieg began to realize his mistake and stammered, "Well, no, that's what I'm trying to say. We don't." Lucas nodded, humouring Ben for a couple more seconds. "Yeah, but someone does, someone did." He raised his eyebrows in disbelief, "I can't believe I'm hearing this."  
Then, with all the venom he had in him, he turned on his friend. "She died for us. Cleo died trying to get some stupid notes, something to help us find the answers. Do you understand that? What do you call it, taking her job seriously?! Get out!" Ben stood up, his hands raised in surrender while his throat clamoured to vocalise something which would calm the teenager down. "Hey, Lucas, I was just..." Lucas stood and picked up the disk Krieg had brought, holding it accusingly in front of his friend's face. "You come in here, offering me presents to make me feel better! Let's cheer Lucas up! Let's get him back to normal so we can all get on with our lives without feeling guilty! She died for us, she died for me...because she wanted to help me! Because she loved me and I loved her..."

His voice died, unable to proceed. Lucas suddenly found himself feeling kind of woozy and nauseous but, gathering his remaining strength, he said, "Get out, Ben. I can't believe you can say this to me. I can't believe you thought for even an instant that she could be so calculating, so cold."  
Ben opened his mouth to speak but the damage had been done and there was nothing more to say. Wiping sweaty hands against his jump suit, he backed towards the door and paused before ducking out into the hallway.

Lucas stood in the middle of his room, trembling from head to toe, every muscle aching with sorrow. He looked around the cramped space, overwhelmed by the surging loss he felt. All the restraint he had commanded for days was released in a torrent of utter misery and it was all he could do to stand. Breath gasping from his lips, Lucas sank to the floor and let the trembling sobs free, weeping silently against the bed. He couldn't do this, he couldn't control it anymore because was too much for him to bear.

"Kristin?" The doctor looked up from the charts she was signing off, taking in Ben's dishevelled, nervous face. "Lieutenant, what's the matter?"  
"Oh God, Kristin, I've done a terrible thing."

"Lucas?" When her knock received no answer, Westphalen quietly opened the door to mammal engineering. Lucas sat on the floor, defeated and diminished, his head leaning against the bed frame, sobs wracking his body.  
"Oh, Lucas!" She ran to him, easing herself down on the floor beside him and gathering his slight, unresisting frame into her arms as the tears fell freely.  
"Lucas, darling, shhh, shhh." She soothed him, kissing his hair and squeezing him tightly to her. Her muscles pounded with adrenaline, making her want to squeeze harder and harder, to wring the pain from this broken child. She felt tears stinging in her own eyes, tears which she thought she'd shed for good days ago.  
"Oh, Lucas, my love. It's all right, it's okay." He wept against her, unable to stop, unable to control the sorrow which he thought would never leave his side.

The door lay partially open and Kristin looked up through swimming vision to see Nathan pass outside then stop abruptly when he saw the scene. Shaking her head, the doctor motioned him away and, reluctantly, the captain pulled the door fast behind him and left the pair alone. His heart yearned to be with Lucas, wishing that he could be the one to comfort him, the one whom the youngster had confided in, but such selfishness was short-lived. It was quickly replaced with relief that Lucas had finally found a way to deal with Cleo's death and what had happened to him.

Kristin cradled the teenager in her arms until his sobs diminished and he withdrew from her, avoiding her concerned gaze. He didn't say a word and the doctor reached up to wipe a stray tear from his face, "There now, that's better. It's all right."  
Her hand passed fleetingly over the boy's forehead and she touched his cheek lightly with her palm before patting his knee. "Come on, you're exhausted. Let's get you into bed."  
Lucas made no protest as she helped him take off his shoes and climb under the covers. Kristin knelt beside the bed and whispered, "Get some sleep. Just say the word and I'll be there, all right?"  
Lucas nodded, his eyes still refusing to meet hers. Kristin touched his forehead once more, worry momentarily knitting her brow. Whether it was simply the exertion of the day's events or something more, the boy was definitely running a temperature but, given the situation, the doctor opted to leave him be until he had slept awhile.

Lucas closed his eyes, waiting for Dr. Westphalen to leave before sliding his lids open to make sure it was all clear. He lay staring up at the pipe work, feeling too numb to cry any more or even think straight. The past week's events were like a fuzzy haze in his mind and even the Sun's energy wouldn't be enough to quench the ugly quagmire of despair he was experiencing. Glancing round the room, he noticed the disk which Ben had brought for him lying against the wall where he had flung it. Unsteadily, he climbed out of bed and retrieved it, bringing it back to his bed and plugging it into the virtual reality glasses stashed under the desk.

Lying back, Lucas punched in the code and prepared himself for some stupid beach bunny video with bouncing breasts and sun-drenched sands. Instead, the picture which came sharply into focus was what appeared to be a home video recording of a sunny residential street. The camera moved steadily down the centre of the tree canopied road, sounds of birds and distant children playing filled Lucas' ears. He passed a middle-aged man watering his front lawn in front of a white washed two-storey house, plant pots by the door and a child's tricycle parked haphazardly in the curving driveway. The camera moved on and Lucas could almost feel the warm sun against his skin, smell the revitalising scent of freshly cut grass against his nostrils. He sailed down the street, taking in the street barbecue, the group of children playing basketball against the garage door, a father showing his son how to build a rabbit hutch and two siblings chasing one another around the perfectly regulated garden.

Lucas was lost in this picture of familial bliss and the life he had longed for. He was seventeen years old, only a few years from being an adult, from looking back and saying he had never experienced any of it. His childhood was a mottled patchwork of heartache and suffering which he had always deserved. He had never questioned its verity, never wondered why he wasn't supposed to see the world through this camera's eyes. His virtual eyes wandered back to the father and son working together, the man sawing wood while his son attempted to help with a bright red plastic saw. Could that ever have been Lucas Wolenczak? Could that father with kindly wrinkles around his eyes ever have been his father? Perhaps if he'd been a better child, a different child without 'gifts'?

As the camera moved towards the end of the road, it homed in on a young couple who were no more than fifteen, hands and lips locked in the tentative embrace of first love. Lucas' stomach churned as his mind distorted the girl from the chubby, raven-haired child before him to a light-haired, blue eyed young woman. To think there were couples like that up land, existing in a golden world they took for granted but which Cleo would never understand and which he would never see. The one person who could have changed that was gone. How could he find this foreign country without her? In their brief time together, Lucas had loved her...and he couldn't do it alone anymore.

Nathan hadn't exactly been spying, more lingering suspiciously near Lucas' quarters, waiting for Kristin to pass. At first he had been pleased that the youngster had finally opened up to someone, but now he had a few minutes to reflect, the captain was more concerned that it had been something he had said to trigger the collapse. Perhaps he had pushed the kid too far back in the ward room. He was so engrossed in these thoughts that he almost missed Westphalen stalking past his half shadowed form in the corridor. "Kristin!" The doctor whirled on him, her face clearly reflecting how far away her mind was from anything around her. "Oh, Nathan."  
"Is Lucas okay? He looked in pretty bad shape."  
Kristin ran a hand through her disarrayed hair. "To tell you the truth, I think a good cry and a hug was what that boy has been craving for days."  
Nathan looked guiltily down at his hands for a moment, feeling like some kind of murderous criminal. "Do you know what triggered it off?"  
Kristin's face suddenly fell into drawn wariness. "Uh, actually, yes I do." She knew that Ben had only acted out of kindness, that his intentions had been honourable. Unfortunately, he also still had a lot to learn about tactfully broaching subjects or not mentioning them at all. The doctor had hoped the captain might accept that Lucas had reached breaking point rather than probe into specifics to spare Krieg an earful. Bridger's reactions were suitable to every occasion except occasions where the teenager was involved and it was likely that he would overreact to Ben's actions. However, she stood a better chance of calming Nathan than the wayward lieutenant would in a month of Sundays.  
"Perhaps we should go somewhere more private."

They wandered back towards the captain's quarters while Kristin tentatively tried to make light of the situation or at least profess Lucas to be on the way to a sound emotional recovery.  
Once inside, she explained Ben's actions in a rush of sentences intended to overwhelm Bridger before he could explode. However, his reaction was far from what Westphalen had expected. He put his head in his hands for a moment, "Oh, what a relief."  
"A relief? Okay, that was not quite the reaction I had expected?"  
Nathan looked up, a half smile playing on his lips. "After you left the ward room earlier, I tried to get close to him. From the look in his eyes, anyone would think I was holding a gun to his head. He ran and I didn't know what to do so I just left him. It seemed like the best thing to do at the time." Kristin nodded, solemnly.  
"You're were only trying to help, Nathan. I think we've all put our foot in it at some time or another over the past few days. It's difficult to know when to stop, where Lucas has drawn the line, but I honestly think he's on the mend. I don't think he's got the fight left in him to stave us off any longer."  
"And that's a good thing?"  
"Well, it means he can rely on us to help him."  
"How's his leg?"  
Kristin shrugged, "That is still puzzling me. The leg is a moot point so I suppose we'll have to leave it be, but when I left him just now he was definitely running a slight temperature."  
Nathan's eyes widened in concern, "Do you think he's got some kind of infection?"  
Sighing, Kristin crossed her arms. "I don't know. I thought it would be best to let him sleep. I'll take a look at him tomorrow morning. It could well be a delayed reaction to all the emotional stress he's been under." Nathan nodded, satisfied. He longed to be with Lucas again, to talk to him as they used to do and it felt like an abstract, forced memory of the days spent together on the island during shore leave. The captain felt very far away from the teenager all of a sudden, like he was a stranger. In a way he was. Experiencing loss of a loved one altered one's perception of life, suddenly shed everything in a new light. It was difficult to imagine how Lucas might be changed by his understanding of it. After all, he had gone through so much in his tender years, so much to be sorry for and many conflicting emotions to be worked through. Maybe Cleo's death would be filed away now with the rest of the horrors which should have scarred the boy irreparably but which he somehow worked beyond.

In spite of his better judgement, Bridger couldn't resist looking in on Lucas before he went to bed that night. He wasn't sure whether it was better that the youngster be awake or asleep but he couldn't pass that door without peeking in. Quietly turning the wheel, he opened the hatch into the gloom of the boy's room and tiptoed over to the bed. Lucas' face was illuminated by the eerie liquid blue of the aqua tubes, his face serene. Bridger did not dare to touch that soft, pale skin but he frowned when he saw the beads of sweat glistening across that tender brow. Assured that the boy was at least sleeping comfortably, he moved back towards the hatch and was startled when a small voice called, "Captain?" Quickly returning to the boy's side, Nathan hunched down by the bed.  
"Hey, kiddo. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."  
Lucas' eyes were sleepy but darkened by enlarged pupils, making them almost black. "That's okay." The captain smiled, sensing for the first time in so long that he was actually wanted here.  
"How are you feeling?" Lucas stared at Bridger for a long moment as if seeing his face for the first time, eyes roaming from his mouth to his eyebrows, taking him in feature by feature. Finally, he spoke. "Better." He attempted a small smile of proof. "I'm sorry, captain, for the way I've behaved."  
"No, no, you shouldn't be sorry. You've reacted perfectly normally."  
He paused, remembering the misdemeanours he felt he should be apologizing for. "You know, I reckon I've got a few things to say sorry for myself."  
A fleeting frown passed across the boy's brow, prompting Bridger to continue. "I'm sorry for how rough I was with you in the cave, trying to force those numbers out of you...and I'm sorry for what I did earlier. You weren't ready for me to get that close and I'm sorry if I scared you."  
Lucas digested this information slowly, trying hard to recall what had happened in the cave. "Now it's my turn to absolve you. To be honest, I don't remember much about being in that cave at all. I certainly don't remember anything about some numbers...and you don't have to be sorry for what happened before. I think, in a way, it helped me. I didn't know what I was feeling and then when Ben came in here, it was like I couldn't hold it in anymore, like every cell of me was demanding that these emotions be exorcised." Lucas stopped suddenly, trying to find the words which might explain how he had felt in those moments, but there were none. But Bridger understood. He had lost both his wife and son and nothing would ever bring them back, ever reconcile them in this world. It would be done on another plane, a new level of existence with a different coloured sky. Nathan sat patiently, giving the youngster all the time he needed.

Eventually, Lucas asked, "You know what was the worst thing about losing Cleo? It was the knowledge that she was just like me. That's what brought us together, what made it so special. She was more than just a girlfriend, she was a soul mate, the mirror of my soul. It could have been me." Bridger could see the tears forming again in those pain-wrought blue eyes.  
"You know, the reason she went back underwater was because she felt like a freak, like me. The real world didn't want her, just like my father didn't want me. The world wasn't ready for some jumped up genius kid so he put me as far away from the civilization as possible."  
Lucas' voice began to grow hoarse as he tried to control the tremor and he turned wide eyes on Bridger, "What happened to her body, captain?"  
Nathan paused, uncertain if the truth was the right thing to tell Lucas, but there would never be a right time. "Her body was taken up to Anchorage and autopsied...then she was cremated."  
Lucas nodded. He had known the funeral would have taken place without him, of that he had been certain. Bridger added, "I tried to make them wait so that you could say goodbye but..."  
Lucas swallowed back the lump in his throat. "It's okay. I understand."  
The pair sat in silence for a while. "Did anyone go...to her funeral?" He didn't know what else to call it. It was hardly a funeral when there were no family to be notified or friends to gather and say goodbye.  
Nathan inwardly winced at the question. Both he and Kristin had intended to go, to pay their last respects on Lucas' behalf, but they had not been notified until after the cremation had already taken place.  
"We wanted to...very much, but we didn't hear until it was too late. She was registered as having no family and the hospital didn't know how involved we were with the case, that we knew Cleo at all." Nathan found himself struggling to find words to explain what he wanted to say or, more importantly, how he wanted them to sound. No matter which way he twisted his vocabulary, it all sounded callous and abysmal.  
Lucas quietly said, "There are times when I wonder if that could be me someday." Bridger frowned, taken aback by this comment. "My parents don't care what happens to me and one day seaQuest will be gone, it won't be my home anymore...and I wonder what will become of me. Will I even exist to the world anymore or will I be like Cleo? Without love, without hope? A funeral with empty seats?" The boy's voice lost its tremor, evening out.

Nathan couldn't believe the words falling from the boy's lips. They were crystal clear, uncluttered by irrational emotions. Still, the resignation was undeniable. Roughly, Bridger cupped the teenager's face between his hands. "Don't ever say that, Lucas. It will never be true. What happened to Cleo was dreadful but it will never be you! There are so many people who love you, even your parents. I know they have a strange way of showing it but do you remember what your father told you when he called?" Lucas nodded. "He didn't say those things to mess you up, he said them because under all that bravado and etiquette is a father who genuinely loves his son. He just has a hard time showing those feelings. Your father made mistakes, terrible ones which you suffered for, but he is trying to change. He is trying to rebuild some of those bridges but it is hard to do and it takes courage. Lucas, you're a wonderful, wonderful person and there will be so many people who will want to love you if you'd let them...but you've got to let them in."  
Lucas swallowed, choking back tears once more as Bridger drew him into a fierce hug, never wanting to let him go. Clinging to the captain as if he were the only thread of hope, Lucas felt some kind of peace for the first time in a long time. "Captain, will you stay with me?"  
Nathan smiled into the boy's blonde hair, his heart swelling with pride and happiness. "Of course I will." Scrunching his small body up against the aqua tubes, Lucas made room for the man's larger frame on the edge of the bed.

Nathan awoke the next morning with a seething pain in his lower back, his spine greeting its owner with an unwelcome throbbing, consistent ache. The captain groggily wondered what kind of position he must have been lying in to get such horrendous repercussions. Rubbing one hand across his eyes, he suddenly realized that he couldn't feel his left arm at all. Looking down, he quickly ascertained the cause - a blonde head, cherubic and peacefully lying against him. Bridger smiled at the cosy scene they must present, but his contentment was short-lived when he looked closer at Lucas' sleeping form. The youngster's face was grey and drawn, a sheen of sweat covering his forehead and cheeks. Leaning in closer, Bridger placed one hand against the boy's throat, recoiling in horror at the diminished pulse beneath angry, hot skin. He was no expert in medicine but, while he knew sleeping induced lower breathing rates, the kid's temperature was not encouraging.

Watchfully, Bridger extricated his arm and laid Lucas' head gently against the pillow. He decided to take a quick shower and change before going on a direct mission to medbay to speak with Dr. Westphalen. It would not do for Lucas to get sick again and hopefully some paracetamol or aspirin would do the trick to get him back on form.  
Bumping in to Lieutenant Krieg who was walking to the mess with Commander Hitchcock, Bridger smiled wearily, aware of how dishevelled he must appear. Ben cast a look in the direction from which the captain had come, namely Lucas' room. "How's Lucas?"  
"Much better. He's going to be okay, I think...no thanks to you." Ben looked down sheepishly but Katie caught the playful twinkle in Bridger' eye. He wagged a finger at the lieutenant, speaking to Katie. "Keep him out of trouble, will you?"  
"I'll do my best, sir." Nathan nodded and excused himself, eager to see Kristin before she got too snowed under with work.

Lucas woke up slowly, reluctantly admitting that his ears were listening to the daily activities of the boat and his legs were starting to complain about lying down for so long. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he sat up and instantly regretted it. His head was defiantly telling him to stay in bed a while longer, vision swaying unsteadily. Refusing to give in to it, Lucas swung his legs off the mattress and began to dress. He knew he should really have a shower but since he suddenly needed the chair as a crutch for even putting his socks on, he decided standing in the shower was not the wisest option.

After about fifteen minutes, he was fully dressed and paused by the mirror, one hand on the hatch ready to leave. He released the door the instant he saw his face. Okay, so mornings had never been his strong point, but even Lucas had to admit that he looked like hell. His eyes were sunken and kind of red, perhaps due to blubbering intermittently over the last twenty four hours, and his skin was sallow and pale. Hastily grabbing a comb, the teenager attempted to regulate his appearance somewhat, pinching his cheeks until he winced with pain. It managed to bring a momentary spike of colour to his flesh before sinking back into white. Figuring it would just have to do, Lucas turned his attention to finding the disk he wanted to give to Ben in thanks for his own thoughtful present. Reaching into his desk drawer, he rummaged through the debris and junk of what used to be hard drive components, scraps of paper and used up pens. "Ouch!" He withdrew his hand sharply, examining his wounded finger and sucking off the drop of blood bubbling there. At least the pain had momentarily helped him forget the pounding headache building up inside his skull.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Lucas headed towards the mess. He wasn't really in the mood for food but, given the late hour, it was likely that Ben would be there, and he had some apologies to make. Besides, perhaps the sight of food would spontaneously give him an appetite. Snorting derisively at his own optimism, Lucas stuffed the disk into his pocket and entered the mess.

"What's been happening with Dr. Wagner and Dr. Olafsson since Bridger went public on Lucas' finds?" Katie asked, biting into a bread roll as if it were her last breakfast. Ben watched her with interest. How was it that she could be incredibly gracious in many ways but have another side which was vulgar and slovenly. Even he ate with more delicacy than that. Recollecting his thoughts, he said, "Oh, well, Commander Ford has been dealing with most of the interactions between Pearl Harbour and seaQuest. The information was passed on to UEO lawyers and now we're just waiting for the response."  
Katie took a sip of orange juice, "And what do you think they'll do?"  
Ben shrugged, "Well, unless they've got shit for brains, I'd say they'll plead guilty."  
"Really?"  
"What else can they do? Unless they show up with a chunk of tourmaline and turn it into wankertite, wagnertite or whatever, in front of the judge, I don't think they stand much chance of winning." Katie laughed at his purposeful mispronunciation. "Don't let the captain hear you talking like that...or Lucas for that matter. The last thing he needs is another bad example from you." Ben's grin faded and Katie patted his hand, reassuringly. "Hey, give yourself a break. Bridger knows you were only trying to help."  
"Yeah, but does Lucas? I hate to think how I might have screwed him up." Katie's gaze moved past him towards the door, "Well, now might be your chance to find out." Ben turned to see Lucas enter the mess. "Mind you, go easy. He looks awful."  
The pair watched discreetly as the teenager picked up a tray and moved along the line, looking at the food but not actually taking any. He reached the end of the queue with a bottle of water and some kind of brightly wrapped bar, undoubtedly a variety of junk food. The blue eyes looked up, anxiously surveying the room before landing on Ben. The lieutenant smiled back and waved him over. To his infinite relief, Lucas smiled and ambled towards them, taking a seat between the two officers.  
"Hey kid."  
Katie looked at the chocolate bar on the boy's tray, "That's breakfast, Lucas? Doesn't look very healthy."  
Lucas flicked at the wrapper but made no move to open it, instead opting for water. At least he didn't think he'd throw up on water alone. "I'm not hungry, really." Quickly, he changed the subject. "Listen, I'm sorry about how I acted yesterday. I was, well, I wasn't myself."  
Ben raised his hands in surrender, biting into his sausage and trying to stay casual. "Hey, that's okay. You've been having a rough time of it so I forgive ya."  
Lucas appreciated his friend not making it into a big deal, but he still wanted to thank him. "Anyway, I watched the disk and...I don't know what to say. It was really great. Thanks."  
"Well, you know, 'Big Breasted Women of the Sahara' are more up my alley, but hey, whatever shakes your stick...!"  
Katie rolled her eyes. "Is it possible for you to think of anything else when you're off duty? I can't believe you men, you're all the same. They're just flesh, body parts, functional body parts!" She was met with two very blank faces and flapped her hand, dismissively. "Never mind." The three chatted generally for a while before Katie glanced at her watch. "Oh, look at the time. My shift starts in five minutes, I'd better get going."  
Lucas sighed, "Yeah, I guess I should get a move on, too." He stood up but, without warning, black dots began dancing before his eyes and he put one hand out on the table to steady himself. Katie and Krieg reached to support him, the commander's ice blue eyes sharp with concern. Krieg asked, "Woah there, kid. Are you all right?"  
Lucas mumbled, "Yeah, I'm okay...I think." Slowly, the two adults moved their hands away from him and for a second Lucas honestly thought he was okay. Taking one step from the table, the world began spinning again and he felt two hands grip him under the arms, catching him just as he began to fall.  
Katie reached for her PAL and alerted medbay, "Medteam to the mess - immediately!" Helping Ben ease Lucas onto the chair, she instructed him to put his head between his knees for a while. Lucas did as he was told but the light-headed sensation only seemed to get worse.

A minute later, Dr. Westphalen was at his side. "Lucas! I've been looking for you. Captain Bridger said you weren't looking too good and I'd say that was an understatement." She took his pulse, frowning. "Hmm, let's get you to medbay."  
She forced his head up and examined each eye. "Can you stand?" Lucas nodded and managed to get up with Ben's help. He was halfway to the door, carefully controlling his breathing and focusing intently on the decking beneath his feet when a second bout of nausea set in. The wave passed but blackness nagged at the edge of his vision, threatening to spill him into complete blindness. He felt himself falling but there just wasn't enough strength to stop himself.  
"Lucas!" Once again, Ben managed to half catch the boy before he hit the ground and gently laid him on the decking as Kristin instructed everyone to stand back and give him air. Lucas was carefully manoeuvred onto a stretcher and hurried back to medbay for examination.

"Your shift began ten minutes ago, commander. Why are you so late?" Katie hastened over to the captain, standing at his shoulder as he barked an order in a lieutenant's direction. "Sir."  
Turning on her, he asked irritably, "What is it?"  
"I'm sorry I'm late but I've just been with Lucas. He collapsed." Nathan stared at her in shock. He had spoken to Westphalen less than an hour ago and now the boy had collapsed. "Where's commander Ford?"  
Hitchcock knew that the captain wanted to be in medbay but she also knew that Jonathan was in talks with the UEO headquarters over the outcome of Wagner's case. "He's talking to David Withers about the MEDS incident. Wagner spoke up this morning." Bridger nodded, grimly, inwardly chiding himself for not acting on his instincts the previous night. Lucas had been showing signs of illness then but he had chosen to dismiss it. Rational thought reclaimed him though when he remembered the exchange which had ensued, how much the teenager had opened up to him. To think that all of those thoughts might have laid dormant for months to come if Bridger had not been there at that very moment. "Fine, return to your station, commander."  
"Yes, sir." Nathan fought to maintain his concentration on seaQuest's course, plotting her next heading and dealing with the routine mundanities which barely required his attention. As much as he longed to be with Lucas, the bridge crew had been without their captain for many days and it was important that he stay for the full shift. He had let his personal feelings lead him ever since the accident and no matter how difficult it might be, Nathan had to let his mind supersede his heart's desires. Lucas was in safe hands and he could ask for no better care than Dr. Westphalen would provide. He had only been running a temperature a couple of hours ago so the chances were that the teenager had simply moved too fast on too little food and blacked out. It shouldn't be a cause for concern. No matter which way he viewed it, Nathan was captain of this boat and that role must always come first and foremost. Turning back to the tasks at hand, he tried to put the boy's image from his mind and get on with his job.

Ben had been waiting patiently outside the emergency room for what felt like an age. Eventually, Kristin emerged, not looking nearly as harassed as she had twenty minutes earlier. "Ben, you're still here."  
Ben wondered where else she expected him to be. "Yeah, how is he? What's wrong with him?" He strained to see past her.  
"Well, at the moment, it is presenting itself as mild anaemia so we're upping his iron levels. The nurses are just moving him and he's resting comfortably now. He started coming round while we were assessing him so I gave him a mild sedative just to keep him calm. I expect he'll sleep it off for the next couple of hours at least."  
"Oh. Is that my cue to leave?" Kristin marvelled at the lieutenant's sudden tact.  
"I think it's best to leave him be for a while. Give him a chance to rest properly before he has any visitors."  
Ben nodded. Now that everything was okay again between him and the kid, he really wanted to spend some time with him. Apparently he wasn't doing a very good job of covering this disappointment up because Kristin laughed, "Oh, go on. Sit with him if it means I don't have to look at that miserable expression on your face!" Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he followed the direction of her finger to where Lucas had been taken.

Nathan endured the slow and torturous shift, glancing at his watch every minute as the time dragged into hours and he was eventually released from his duties. Hurrying as fast as decorum allowed, he arrived in medbay and started looking for Lucas. He was relieved to see that the ICU was clear which meant he couldn't be in too dreadful a state. Fortunately, despite its imposing size, the seaQuest did not house a particularly large medical facility and eliminating his options did not take the captain long.  
Lucas was firmly attached to an IV, his face pale but serene as he lay sleeping on one side. Ben was reading a book beside the bed, his eyes wandering occasionally over to the patient with unease. Nathan put his finger to his lips as he entered, prompting the lieutenant to stand up and vacate the only chair in the room. Whispering, Krieg said, "Dr. Westphalen sedated him. He's been sleeping since he arrived."  
Bridger nodded, "What happened?"  
"I don't know. He just arrived in the mess and passed out. The doc said something about anaemia."  
"Anaemia?" Nathan tried to suppress the alarm in his voice. A moment later, Kristin appeared and shooed both men out into the corridor. "Let the poor boy sleep." Anticipating Bridger's next question, she assured him, "Now, don't be alarmed, Nathan. Anaemia can result from poor diet as well as loss of blood. This was probably a long time coming. It's only natural that his body should have a few setbacks. It's taken a pretty good beating."  
"Can I stay with him?"  
Kristin looked sceptically from one man to the other, "Only one of you. Lucas doesn't need crowding. He needs space to recuperate properly." Ben tactfully made an excuse about some project demanding his immediate attention followed by a completely inappropriate and crude comment about the state of his rear end from prolonged use of hospital chairs.

Returning to Lucas' room, Bridger sat down and picked up the book which Krieg had left behind. True to form, the cover was nothing more than an excellent foil for one of his favourite pastimes - smutty fiction. The captain was only too familiar with the variety of bedtime reading generally used on the boat, but for some reason Lieutenant Krieg's preoccupation with such literature was more concerning. Turning the pages with a half smile at the ridiculous situations therein, a small voice penetrated his thoughts. "I thought you'd outgrown that kind of thing, captain." Bridger sheepishly replaced the book at Lucas' bedside, hearing himself protest, "It's not mine!"  
Lucas laughed at the sudden role reversal. The number of times he had been caught red handed doing something he would really rather was kept under the privacy of his bed sheets...well, it was quite often. Of course, it was always Ben's fault though. Smiling warmly, the captain leaned his elbows on the bed, taking Lucas' hand in his own, "So, kiddo, how are you feeling?"  
"Okay, I guess. What's wrong with me?"  
"Dr. Westphalen says it's mild anaemia, probably due to diet."  
Lucas rolled his eyes, "Great, so now I'm going to get the lecture on eating habits on top of having to stay in here."  
"Well, I'll ask her to go easy on you but it is important that you look after yourself, Lucas. Don't abuse your body."  
The teenager snorted, "Me abuse my body? If memory serves, that cave-in wasn't self-inflicted." The cheeky tone left his voice as those words coagulated into pictures and tagged themselves to everything he had endured, to Cleo's death, to his own ever-present misery. With them, Lucas recalled his own musings over the state of this body he was supposed to be preserving. Bridger noticed the boy's sudden reticence and the sadness creeping across his pale face. "Hey, kiddo, come back to me."  
Lucas widened his eyes, "Hmmm?"  
Nathan reflexively squeezed the teenager's hand tighter, trying to hold him in the present and rescue him from the encroaching past. "Lucas, I want to ask you something."  
The youngster's voice was diminished and forlorn, "What?"  
"Would it help you to pay your respects properly to Cleo? As soon as the doc gives the all clear, I could take you back to Anchorage, to the crematorium." The captain was uncertain whether Lucas would react badly to this suggestion but it was important that the boy keep his feelings open. The more introspective he became in his grief, the worse it would get and there would be more emotional scarring to deal with later on. It was in Lucas' own interests that Bridger was doing this, not to mention that it might be exactly what the teenager really wanted but just hadn't been able to say so before.

Lucas hadn't really got as far as considering how he wanted to say goodbye to Cleo. In some ways, he felt he had done it already, that no amount of time spent standing over her lowly grave would make any difference to the way he felt. She didn't have a resting place, somewhere which was how he remembered her or sacred space to be treasured. That was just the problem. Even in death Cleo would not have a position in the world which rejected her. No granite stone would be enough. It was just another burial, a literal one to complement that which she had endured in life. Lucas almost felt as if it were somehow detrimental to everything which they had shared together to visit her physical resting place. It wouldn't signify paying his last respects, it would only be an negation of their mutual feelings. Nobody who truly understood Cleo would think that the grave claimed any part of who she was. To speak to her there, lay flowers on that stone slab, was so far removed from what she would have wanted, from where she really was.  
"Lucas?"  
Lucas met Bridger's patient gaze. It was almost a surprise to see him there, to be confronted with a living human being when his heart and mind were inextricably entwined with the dead. It highlighted with frightening colour how his image of Cleo had changed, how warped it had become. She barely had any human traits anymore. Lucas could perfectly capture her eyes, the way her hair fell over her shoulders, the tiny mole on her collar bone. Sometimes he could even feel her warm breath against his neck. But it wasn't the same anymore. It was heady, like something extracted from a vivid dream, feeling so much like reality but never tangible to be held. That was Cleo now. In the short days since her death, she had already been drawn into the claws of his subconscious mind, never to be released. She could never be more, never take on a new life. "No...thank you, captain."  
Nathan nodded, solemnly. He had gone through so many different emotions when he had lost his wife and all had felt right. They had felt justified and appropriate. Sometimes it was difficult for other people to understand that reactions like Lucas' didn't mean that he didn't care, that he was callous. It was just one in a plethora of conflicting emotions turmoiled inside, each one fighting for supremacy. Not even their owner could tell which one would succeed. "Okay. But if you ever change your mind or if there's anything I can do, just say the word."  
Bridger squeezed the small, bony hand once more, then glanced down as Lucas winced. He was shocked to see droplets of blood smeared across the crisp, white bed covers. "Lucas, what happened to your hand?"  
Lucas leaned over and shrugged. "Oh, I just cut my finger on something in my desk this morning. No big." Not one to accept this teenager's comment as the final word, he lifted the hand and looked closely at his finger. Satisfied, he said, "I'll just get a Band-Aid for it."  
"It's really okay, captain."  
Nathan paused in the doorway, "It's not you I'm worried about, more the sheets." Lucas attempted a taken aback expression but failed miserably, his mouth twitching into a smile instead. "I'll be back in a minute."

Lucas let out a long sigh as the captain left, whether out of some kind of relief or just a forceful exhalation, he wasn't sure. There were good reasons to be grateful for Bridger leaving him alone, not least of them the fact that he still had a lot of information turning round his brain which needed sorting through and the captain frequently had a knack of making it worse. For instance, asking him about Cleo was the last thing he felt like contemplating, but once the thought was there Lucas couldn't shake it. On the other hand, he really did appreciate Bridger being with him. It prevented him from sinking too deeply into the machinations of his own mind.

Speaking of making things worse though, simply by acknowledging a tiny cut, Bridger had managed to generate a throbbing in his finger. The more he tried to ignore it, the worse the pain became and Lucas was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate on much at all. In fact, he was feeling weaker with every passing second and a cold shiver ran convulsively through his body. Lucas shuddered and pulled the bedclothes firmly up around his chest. He felt as if someone had just opened a door to let gusting draughts into the room.

By the time Bridger returned, the youngster was fading fast. At first, the captain was too busy with the Band-Aid for Lucas' finger to notice anything amiss. It was only when the shuddering trembles suddenly set in that Nathan looked up. "Lucas, are you okay?" He glanced back at the shaking fingers beneath his own steady ones. The teenager's face was white as a sheet, his blue eyes wide and sunken giving him a painfully cadaverous appearance. "I'm...co, cold," Lucas stuttered. Nathan passed a palm over the boy's forehead which had been hot only moments before but now the boy's temperature had dropped, radically. The room was already warm and it certainly shouldn't be having such an adverse effect on him.

Barely had the words left his lips than Lucas doubled up, clutching at his stomach, gasping, "It...it, hurts! God, it hurts so much!" Cold shivers were quickly replaced with prickling through his flesh, escalating into sharp slashes of pain which he could not allay. They tore through him right to the bone and he bit is lip in an effort to suppress the cries which threatened to burst forth. Bridger leaned over the boy in horror, his hands hovering over the writhing form. Every time he touched Lucas, the teenager moaned in agony. "Hold on, I'm getting Kristin!" Lucas was too immersed in his own physical nightmare to hear a word the captain said. He could only pray that the agony shorted out soon and let him sleep or at least became too unbearable for him to remain conscious.


	10. Out Of The Blue - Part 10

OUT OF THE BLUE - PART TEN

By Allegra

See Part One for disclaimers etc.

Ben had given up trying to cheer himself up. He had wandered the corridors of the seaQuest from port to starboard but nothing could steer his mind away from the kid in medbay. If it had been anyone else or maybe even just another time, the lieutenant would have put the matter down to Lucas' shabby diet or some equally solvable problem. However, the unprecedented recovery of the teenager's leg after the cave-in was a major cause for query. No action had been taken, principally because there was nothing anyone could do. Lucas was better and that was all that mattered. People never ask questions about why they are feeling fine, they only seek advice when they have an illness which can't be cleared up or a defect which needed attention. The kid was expected to roll over and thank his lucky stars that he didn't have to sit in traction any longer or even wear a cast. It was all too good to be true and now was payback time.

Ben rarely sought other people for any kind of comfort, considering himself the best shoulder to rely on in his own hour of need. For some reason though, spending time with Katie had been more therapeutic for him than he would ever have believed, even without that bonus kiss. Despite the differences which had torn them apart years ago, they couldn't deny that the attractions still remained. Krieg had always believed that once the physical aspect of their relationship had been laid to rest, when he no longer desired Commander Hitchcock in his bed, the conflicts of their marriage would be well and truly laid to rest. Since the incident at the MEDS station, he had learned that Katie still possessed a great many assets which he admired, not least her ability to quell his fears. If there was anyone he could honestly open up to, it would be her. Residual attraction aside, he needed her.

Setting his course in the direction of her quarters, he suddenly remembered that she was working a bridge shift. He wondered momentarily whether it would be wise to go to her room anyway, then thought better of it. She might have agreed to stand staunchly beside Ben through his crises, but even he didn't think the lieutenant commander was ready to find her ex-husband lying in wait in her private quarters. Oh, and of course there was that whole rule about consorting with officers in their rooms. He would just have to take his grief elsewhere. Wasn't Darwin supposed to be a good listener? Perhaps if he left the vocorder off...

"Lucas!" Kristin rushed into the teenager's room just as convulsions seized his body. "Nathan, hold him still!" Bridger swallowed back his horror and raced across to the bed, trying with difficulty to keep the boy's flailing arms at his side. "Kristin, what's happening to him?!"  
At first, the doctor said nothing. She was too busy concentrating on preparing an anti-convulsant of sodium valproate, quickly injecting it into Lucas' IV line. After about five minutes, the seizure calmed into irregular twitching in his limbs until eventually the boy lay still. Kristin gently rolled him onto his side and began checking his vitals once again, a frown creasing her forehead.  
Nathan waited patiently for ten minutes, allowing the doctor to do her job, but it wasn't long before the tension was too much to bear. "Kristin, what's going on? One minute he's fine and the next he's having an epileptic fit."  
Kristin motioned him into silence with one finger. "Please, Nathan, I know you're worried but we need to run some more tests immediately so that we can decide on the best course for his medication." Her tone was brisk but the captain knew it only stemmed from maternal concern for Lucas and he sat back down, quietly. Calling in a nurse, Westphalen reeled off a list of tests for the teenager to undergo, including a scheduled CAT scan and blood samples. She took no risks, making sure that he got a full work up.

Eventually, the room was clear and Kristin leaned over Lucas, brushing a strand of hair from his cool forehead, glancing at the monitors in worry. Bridger ventured, "Kristin?"  
Westphalen sighed and drew a chair towards the bed, her eyes never leaving Lucas' pale face. "I don't know what to tell you at this stage. Fits can start as a result of injury to the brain, but nothing showed up when he was brought in after the accident. There was minimal bruising with no inter-cranial pressure. Epilepsy occurs when the normal co-ordinated electrical activity of the brain's nerve cells is disrupted. The chaotic discharge of electrical activity usually results in loss of control over muscle and body movements. It could be a result of any number of factors. We'll just have to wait for the test results before I can tell you anything." She looked up at the captain, her eyes searching for some kind of praise or reassurance that she had done all she could.  
Nathan moved over to her and squeezed her shoulders, affectionately. "Thank you, Kristin. He couldn't be in better hands."

"No! You don't understand! You never listen to anyone except Lucas and it's about time you acknowledged that there are other people on this boat who let you out to feed, you know. Perhaps you should start taking a few lessons in manners! You stupid fish!" Apparently that was the last straw and with a flip of his tail, splashing water all over his companion, Darwin disappeared from the moon pool. Ben cursed under his breath and wiped the ejected water distastefully from his face as if it were something scraped off the bottom of his shoe. "Typical!"  
"Another victim of the incomparable charm of Lieutenant Krieg?" Ben whirled around, almost falling backwards into the moon pool with the exertion. "Tim! What, uh, what are you doing here?"  
Tim stepped towards the water, a half smile playing across his lips. "Last I knew this was still a free country, or moon pool at least."  
Ben emitted a forced laugh. "I was just, uh, just...I promised Lucas I'd pass on a message to Darwin for him. That fish could use some manners considering all the things we do for him. I mean, he has it so easy just swimming around seaQuest without a care in the world."  
Tim nodded, indulging the lieutenant's rant. "So Lucas wanted to pass on a message about your relationship with Commander Hitchcock? That fish has a big mouth, lieutenant. I'd be careful what you impart to him if I were you."  
Krieg shot his companion a warning glare. "If you so much as breathe a word..."  
Tim raised his hands in mock surrender, "Hey, your secret's safe with me, I swear." The two men stood in silence for a while before O'Neill added, "A word of advice though - don't get involved, Krieg. It's a bad idea."  
Ben looked up at him in surprise. "I'm not. That's just the thing. We're good, we're fine, we're ...friends. It's just sometimes there's that old spark, you know, the spark that brought us together in the first place." Tim eyed him, warily. "But hey, don't worry. We've talked about it and it was all just a mistake...and I am happy about that. I just wish things didn't have to get so complicated all the time."  
Tim nodded, sympathetically. "You know, Ben, you just have a habit of making things difficult for yourself. Maybe you should start looking at the way you handle situations sometimes."

Patting his friend on the back, O'Neill decided he had said all that could be said and headed back to his own quarters. He was tired and sleep was first on the agenda. If he dwelt on Krieg's problems for too long he'd be up all night. With the number of dilemmas that man managed to get himself embroiled in at once, it was a wonder the guy's conscience was ever clear enough to let him rest.

Having been banished from medbay for the remainder of the afternoon, Bridger set about trying to find something useful to do which didn't require making any important decisions. Given his state of mind, he found himself wandering towards mammal engineering and sat down on Lucas' bed. It was the one place where the captain could still find some semblance of the boy who had left seaQuest for that MEDS station two weeks earlier. That had been a completely different teenager, the Lucas everyone knew and loved. Who could have foreseen the gnarled and twisted path his life would have taken within a few short days? It felt as if the boy had befallen one catastrophe after another only to end up back in hospital with yet another setback. When was it going to be enough?

Nathan lay back against the pillow, calmly recalling how he had woken up in this exact spot that morning, but that had been aeons ago. Now, the child who had rested so peacefully on his shoulder was fettered to a medical bed to endure countless tests. Nobody could say for sure if they would ever get the old Lucas back. What was he saying?! They had lost the old Lucas the moment God had chosen to spare him but not Cleo. There was no changing the fact that the youngster had lost someone he cared deeply for and whom he would never see again. From personal experience, Nathan knew it was just another step away from innocence.

The vidlink suddenly burst in action and Dr. Westphalen's serious face came into focus. "Nathan?"  
"Yes." The captain sat forward on the bed, his stomach mysteriously tying itself into tight knots of fear.  
"Lucas' test results are back. I think you should come to medbay immediately."  
Nathan nodded, "I'm on my way."

Bridger's feet flew over the decking as he exited the Maglev with speed he barely even knew he possessed. The expression on the doctor's face and the severe tone in her voice worried him more than he cared to admit. He relied on Kristin as his gauge when it came to knowing how much trouble Lucas was in. Calming his jangling nerves and his laboured breathing, Nathan stepped into medbay and went directly to Kristin's office. He half expected to find nobody there, to hear the whining squeal of an EEG flatlining and shouts from concerned doctors and nurses trying to save the teenager's life. In the chaos of his mind, Nathan found it disconcerting to see the relative calm which had descended over the entire medical facility.

Kristin tapped him on the shoulder as she tried to squeeze into the office where he blocked the doorway. "Nathan, sit down and I'll explain the situation. It's complicated to say the least."  
Nathan reluctantly sat, really wanting to pace around some more and burn off the excess energy. "What's wrong with him?"

Kristin perused the notes she had been clutching, trying to think of the clearest way to tell the captain everything she had found. "The tests we ran show a variety of symptoms which don't add up. Lucas is suffering from anaemia and an irregular heartbeat, both of which are indicative of low potassium levels. However, the medicines we are giving him to counteract that are having no effect whatsoever. His seizure, on the other hand, appears to be a result of low sodium. He is also suffering from low blood pressure and low glucose, neither of which have improved despite our efforts to balance it out. As for the cut on his finger, it has continued to bleed without any signs of healing due to a fibrinogen deficiency." She took a deep breath, noticing the blank expression on the captain's face. "The problem we face is that we can ascertain what's wrong with Lucas but no drugs have been having any effect in resetting his body's balance."

She placed an X-ray showing a portion of Lucas' torso on the portable viewer and held a pencil in front of one of his arteries. "I took an arteriogram. See here, that dark line running along the entire length of his arteries?"  
Nathan nodded.  
"Well, it appears to be some kind of unidentified agent coating the insides. Whatever it is seems to be affecting all of Lucas' blood cells, hence the symptoms of anaemia. There is a decrease in the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide through his tissues, iron loss and both the spleen and bone marrow are growing ineffective. It is infiltrating the plasma and destroying the fibrinogen which is a clotting protein. I suppose we should he thankful for small mercies that Lucas' leg was healed before this began or we'd be dealing with an open wound as well. Now, I took a sample which my team are analysing as we speak. Hopefully, they'll have some news for us within a couple of hours. In the mean time, all we can do is try to make Lucas comfortable to the best of our abilities."  
"How could we have missed all of this coming?"  
Kristin shook her head. "It has all begun in the last twenty four hours as if it has been incubating. Lucas was given the utmost care while he was in medbay. If there had been any one of these symptoms then, we would have caught it."  
If there was one thing which Bridger understood in all of that, it was that there were no guarantees. What Lucas was suffering from was a mystery and even if they did figure out what was in his arteries, there was no telling if an antidote would be found. "Can I see him?"  
Kristin pursed her lips, her eyes dark and urgent. "Nathan, there's more." The captain said nothing, inwardly bracing himself. "Because the drugs are only having a minimal effect, more like a drop in the ocean really, Lucas is gradually deteriorating. He is unconscious and the chances of him slipping into a coma are quite high at this point. We are doing everything we can to prevent that, but until we know more about what's wrong with him, there's little more we can do."  
Nathan ran a hand over his chin, despair nagging at the corners of his mind. "Things couldn't get much worse, could they?"  
Kristin said nothing. It tore her apart to see Bridger like this, to see Lucas in such a state. She felt frustrated and helpless for being a doctor who had no choice but to stand by and watch that leeching poison slowly and painfully destruct that boy from the inside out. Nathan was no more than a shadow of himself and Kristin wasn't sure if she could hold out much longer. Days of torment had now become weeks, the situation growing steadily worse until she was forced to wonder if there would ever be a bottom to this torturous well of despair.

When he had first accepted the position of captain of the seaQuest two years ago and had met Lucas for the first time - an obnoxious kid with an unhealthy degree of self assurance - Nathan could never have perceived such impending misery. Not in his wildest imagination would he have believed that kid to have been so mercilessly abused by his father, neglected by his mother, flung onto a deep sea military vessel without a friend in the world, only to be confronted with this. In those first months, Bridger had honestly felt like a father again. Sometimes he enjoyed the role and at other times he wondered how he had ever been roped into the situation.

Whichever way he viewed it, Lucas had made a profound impact on him and had started to make him feel like a real human being once more. After years of hollowness brought about by Robert and Carol's deaths, Nathan was forced to see the genius teenager for who he was, a sensitive boy with no guidance or love. Now more than ever, the captain was forced to see how two way that relationship had become. He relied on Lucas as much as the youngster relied on him. He couldn't see his way past the medbay, what lay at the other end was a complete mystery. Nathan feared this more than anything because it was a sensation he was all too familiar with. With Carol's impending death, he had been inconsolable, convinced that there would be no life beyond her. And for a long time he had been right. Compared to his marriage, Nathan's time with Lucas seemed almost insignificant, but it wasn't. He felt exactly the same way because Lucas deserved so much more than his lot. There was so much more to see of the world and it wasn't right that the boy's life should end here, that this ageing man should be allowed to live past his prime and into old age in the teenager's stead.

Nathan had been impatiently awaiting the science team's finds. Kristin had gone off to join them and see how much progress had been made. Eventually she returned, her face completely unreadable which was never a good sign. "Nathan, there are some strange anomalies..." She brandished a complex graph in front of his face, then said, "From the evidence we have here, I think it would be best to let everyone else involved with the cave-in hear."  
This wasn't the first response he had hoped for. "Kristin, what about Lucas?"  
Kristin's face soured again. "I won't lie. What I hold here is sketchy at best. We are making all kinds of assumptions..." She stopped herself. "Look, Nathan, there's no point in me repeating this to everyone. I think it would be wise to call a meeting and we can discuss this together. Lieutenant Krieg and Commander Ford might well have some information which will help us make a few certainties at least." Bridger desperately wanted to snatch the documents from the doctor's hands as if he honestly believed they held the key to Lucas' cure. The answers were in there and she was withholding them in her medical codes. The captain's frustration was reaching an absolute snapping point. Perhaps fortunately, self-restraint held him back and he quickly reached for his PAL to summon the appropriate crew members to the ward room.

Within ten minutes, Krieg, Ford, Hitchcock, Westphalen and Bridger were all seated around the ward room table. Bridger quickly filled them in on the turn Lucas had taken and immediately handed over to Kristin to explain the rest. Ben found it hard to concentrate at first as his mind kept wandering back to the image of that poor kid lying in bed, getting worse and worse with every passing moment. It was difficult to focus on tactics and medical jargon when his best friend was at death's door.

Kristin began uncertainly. She knew that as Lucas' life hung in the balance, the information they managed to gather here was the difference between living and dying. With every second she wasted, it was another second of deterioration in that weakening body and every one of the faces around this table would hold her accountable.

"From the medical tests I have conducted, whatever this substance is coating Lucas' arteries, it is creating a higher liquid pressure than the pressure in his cells, effectively causing hypertonic osmosis. Currently, it is restricted mainly to his red blood cells and making them crenated. There has been some plasma effects, namely the reduced fibrinogen which means that it is spreading. Now, given the rapidity with which this was occurred, there is no telling how long it will be before this deposit affects other parts of Lucas' body more seriously. His spleen is not effectively destroying old blood cells and his bone marrow is not producing new red blood cells quickly enough to compensate." Kristin felt her voice beginning to waver and she persevered, knowing that this information had to be imparted and only her lips could do it. Looking around the table at the affrighted faces of her colleagues, she felt an overwhelming desire to cry. Here she was, talking to them as if she had been drafted in to give a presentation on mammalian osmosis when every technical word issuing from her mouth was not about some anonymous body, it was about a boy whom they all cherished and loved like a brother, a son, a best friend.

Cautiously, barely trusting her voice, she continued. "Now, cells cannot function if there is continuous fluctuation in osmotic pressure, but this substance appears to be constantly evolving, altering its properties and..." No sooner had the words left her lips than Kristin stopped short. Like déjà vu, she instinctively knew that she had heard those words somewhere before, recently. Somebody had been saying that exact thing about...about the rock. It had been Lucas. The rock had been mutating in the cave when he breathed on it.  
Nathan insistent voice probed, "Kristin?"  
Hitchcock queried, "Doctor, are you all right?"  
Kristin suddenly looked up, her previously fretted eyes suddenly lit with fiery passion. "Lucas." She snapped her fingers at the group as she tried to gather her scattered thoughts from the MEDS station. "It's the rock! It's the polychromatite! It has to be!"  
Krieg frowned, uncertain where this followed on from what Westphalen had been saying only moments earlier. "What do you mean? What about it?"  
"When Lucas and I were working in the cave, he breathed on a sample of the rock and it changed colour. It was reacting to carbon dioxide levels."  
Nathan shook his head. "But people were working in there all the time, weren't they? Why didn't the rock change when they breathed in there?"  
Kristin shrugged, "I don't know. Perhaps it needed to be in closer proximity. I don't know, but the point is that Lucas and I believed the rock was mutating, altering its properties. Those were Lucas' exact words!"  
Hitchcock glanced at the other blank faces, reassured that she wasn't the only one completely lost in all this. "I still don't understand what this has to do with anything."  
Kristin suddenly grew more animated as a possible link began to unveil itself. "Well, given the bizarre uses of this rock, seeing its effects on sea life, isn't it possible that what Wagner and Olafsson created was more complex than we ever thought? We know it is organic, that it is living."  
Krieg butted in, "Yeah, but Kristin, we've already agreed that Wagner must have been lying."  
Nathan pointed out, happy that some kind of progress was being made, "But we still haven't heard from our lawyers. We don't know whether he has pleaded guilty or is still standing by his claim of inventing polychromatite."  
Kristin was on a jag now and there was no stopping her. "Any organic substance has the ability to mutate, to evolve, no matter how unlikely. Given the dubious uses for the rock, isn't it even remotely possible that it somehow mutated itself and entered Lucas' bloodstream? I mean, think about the fish. They obviously absorbed nutrients of some kind from it, making them faster and larger. What if the same properties have had a different reaction to the human system? What if it mutated inside Lucas' body, lying dormant for a few weeks before finally affecting his system?"  
The group sat quietly for a while, trying to digest what the doctor was saying. It all seemed so far-fetched, it couldn't possibly be true. However, they didn't have any better alternatives at the moment. Nathan leaned forward. "If what you say holds any water at all, Kristin, we don't have any other option than to get Wagner back here immediately to help us find a solution."  
Commander Ford looked at him sceptically, "He'd never agree to that. We shut his project down and shipped him to Pearl. I'd say he'll be more likely to consider what's happened to Lucas as justified payback."  
Ben jumped in, "Yeah, well he doesn't get a say. He's claiming responsibility for this rock so he can damn well reap the consequences!"  
Kristin took a deep breath, trying to diffuse the tension around the table. "Wagner is our best hope but it won't do us any favours if we charge in there and forcibly bring him to seaQuest."  
Hitchcock calmly asked, "So what are you suggesting we do? He's not going to welcome us with open arms."  
The doctor sat back in her chair, waiting for the imminent shouts of disapproval or jeering laughs at the very least. "I suggest we appeal to his better nature. He is human after all."  
Ben scoffed, "Kristin, I think you missed the part where he basically hates our guts. He doesn't care whether Lucas lives or dies! Appealing to his better nature as you put it will only make him realize how desperate we are and then he'll be even more likely to refuse."  
Nathan had been fighting back his irritation and growing impatience with the situation. Thumbing through the muddled results of the science team's tests, he knew that within those biro etchings was the key to a cure. It was insufferable to know that they were too stupid or not advanced enough to find it. Every letter, every number was an arrow in neon lights pointing them towards the exit, but there wasn't a thing he could do to help. They were just figures to Nathan, patterns which were beyond his comprehension. Human beings simply weren't clever enough to solve this...except humans like Dr. Wagner. "I have a solution."  
All faces turned towards their captain with eager anticipation. Bridger knew they weren't going to like what they heard. "We make a deal. Provided that Wagner leaves this project alone forever, his co-operation in Lucas' case will nullify everything else. The UEO will overlook his involvement in illegal experimentation, pollution of the seas, everything."  
Silence ensued. Nobody knew what to say. More than anything, they wanted to save Lucas' life and every one of them would be willing to sacrifice their lives in his stead, but could this really work? Always judicial and logical, Commander Ford piped up, "Captain, I'm not sure the UEO would overlook a crime like that. I mean, there have been some underhand dealings in the past, but look where they've got us. Ultimately, the UEO have a duty to themselves and the public to stay clean and legitimate. Absolving a criminal who, in the blink of an eye, might have wiped out water supplies and food sources across the globe, is not the same as a few dirty dollars passing hands under the table." Pausing for breath and hating himself for having to point this out, he continued, "Lucas is very important to all of us...but he is just a number in the bigger picture. He is one person over millions who might have suffered."  
Kristin shook her head, vehemently. "But until we know exactly what is in that cave, what happened to Lucas is an unconfined hazard. We don't know how it spreads, whether it will kill him or not..." She trailed off at her disgustingly clinical assessment of the teenager's death. "The point is that the UEO has as much duty to make sure the public are not at risk from that rock even now. Wagner is already under their surveillance. He has a duty to clear up his mess."  
Katie quietly added, "If it is his mess, if you and Lucas were wrong and he honestly did have something to do with the mutation of that rock."  
Kristin sat up, sharply. "Well, there's only one way to find out. We can't waste any more time."  
Nathan stood up, dismissing his crew. "I'll get on to Admiral Noyce immediately."

Dr. Eric Wagner had been on release from UEO custody for over a week now and he tried to forget the fact that he had been instructed not to leave Pearl Harbour until further notice. The board of lawyers brought in to survey the evidence for the station to be shut down had been close to useless. Wagner took a discreet pleasure in the sure-fire certainty that they hadn't had a clue what was going on, opting to let him go rather than draw attention to their own incompetence.

The charges pressed by Captain Bridger about contaminating sea life amongst other misdemeanours had left him furious for many days. However, it was eventually replaced with other, more pressing fears. If his project was shut down once and for all, Wagner knew that he could lie low for a while, dipping into other research, until he could get back to the station. It would take a few years but eventually he would get there and continue where he had left off. However, any of those plans were quickly put aside when Olafsson's oafish, slovenly execution of the cave-in had brought much more significant problems. seaQuest would never leave peacefully with a simple padlock on the door of the MEDS station while the two scientists slipped away unnoticed. Now there would be a full inquiry and it would quickly come to light that the polychromatite was about as natural as the bald pate he spent hours trying to hide. They would track him down again, looking for answers, demanding that he show them proof about how he had created it.

Eric suddenly found his palms sweating profusely, unwelcome wet patches staining the underarms of his dark shirt. He had felt this way during the first day of his detainment at the UEO headquarters.  
There was only one solution. If they found him, imprisonment was a certainty and Wagner knew he could never endure that, he was too weak. The only way to avoid their questions was to go beyond even the UEO's long arm of jurisdiction. Suicide.

"Nathan, what can I do for you?" Despite years of friendship, Bridger steeled himself with the most military, professional tone he could muster under the circumstances. It was going to take a lot of convincing to force Admiral Noyce to comply with his wishes. "Bill, what's the situation with Dr. Eric Wagner at the moment?"  
Bill's face fell suddenly. "It's a complete mess, but we're handling it."  
"How?"  
The admiral shifted uncomfortably in front of the monitor. "Well, in all honesty, there wasn't a great deal we could do beyond restrict his research to more mundane projects for a few years."  
Noting Bridger's thunderous face, Bill hastily adopted a little more decorum. "Nathan, in my position, I can't be seen to take unnecessary action against aggressors unless there is good reason. There simply wasn't the concrete evidence to shut him down."  
"What do you mean?! He couldn't prove he created polychromatite. Surely that was enough evidence."  
Bill shook his head. "Neither could we prove he didn't. The whole process just came to a stand still. We made the best decision we could at the time."  
Nathan nodded, emphatically, silencing his friend and superior. There was always some convenient reason to take the easy option and save a few extra UEO credits. "Perhaps you'll revise that decision when you hear the latest offerings."  
"And what might those be?"  
"One of our science team who had been working on the station has been struck with an unidentifiable illness. He is deteriorating rapidly due to a substance coating his arteries. Dr. Westphalen has been directly involved with research on this rock since the beginning of the project. She believes that the crewman's ailment is a consequence of Wagner's self-proclaimed creation."  
Noyce's face darkened. "Nathan, before you go any further...who is this scientist?" Of all the questions, Bridger had hoped to avoid this one. "Lucas Wolenczak."  
"Oh, Nathan, come on...I know you care for that kid and I'm real sorry to hear that he's sick but..."  
"But what, Bill?! Because he's a kid he doesn't count?!"  
"Of course not. That's not what I'm saying..."  
"It sure sounds like it." The admiral opened his mouth in defence but Nathan cut him off before he could utter a single syllable. "This isn't about Lucas. This is about an unidentified substance which has been contracted almost certainly from use of Wagner's polychromatite. We don't know how it spreads or if it is contagious. Hell, every person on this boat could be at risk from contamination!"  
Bill put a placating hand up to silence his comrade. "I get the picture, Nathan...but, what do you want from me?"  
"I want you to hand Wagner over to me, give us a chance to figure out what's going on."  
"I wish I could but Wagner committed suicide outside Fort Lauderdale last night." Nathan could barely believe his ears. After all this, Wagner had been their last hope. "What?! How?"  
"It looks like he took some pills and drowned in a lake nearby."  
"Have you got his body?"  
"No, it hasn't been recovered yet, but he left a note."  
"And you bought it? He's probably hiding out somewhere laughing at us right now."  
Bill shrugged, "I know, but until we can track him down, we have to treat the matter seriously. There's an alert out already. If he is out there, hopefully we should have him within a couple of weeks."  
"Lucas doesn't have that long! He needs help now."  
Admiral Noyce watched his friend with a sinking heart. He honestly wished he could do more, alleviate Nathan's troubles somehow. Knowing it would make him unpopular with his peers, he couldn't help offering, "There's still Olafsson. I can haul him back over to you tonight. He's back in his research centre outside Anchorage."  
Bridger looked up, hardly believing his ears. "You mean he isn't even incarcerated?! He killed two of our men."  
Bill shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Sometimes, he hated talking to Nathan more than anyone else. The captain could always make him feel as if he were doing a terrible job, accusing all the wrong people and endangering citizens with crude decisions. "The bodies were never recovered, Nathan. It is our word against his and until there is some evidence, we can only request that he remain where he is until further notice." Quickly dismissing the point, he continued, "He could be very valuable to your cause, Nathan."  
Bridger nodded, solemnly. "Fine. Give us Olafsson. I'll reset our course immediately. Thank you, Bill."

Nathan moved slowly along the belly of his brainchild, a hulk of indestructible, bio-engineered technology. What a cruel joke that it should be so comparably easy to build, that money should be the greatest obstacle, yet no such blue prints existed for a human being. The UEO would never fork out such huge sums to save a single life. Lucas' survival had rested on the co-operation of a man whose career they had effectively ruined and now only his sidekick remained. It was hopeless but every muscle of the captain's body strained to believe that the kid would pull through, that with a few strings pulled, the old Lucas would be restored to them.

Arriving back in medbay, Nathan's heart almost stopped when he entered the teenager's room only to be confronted with empty bed sheets already replaced for the next unwitting patient. No. It couldn't be true, not so soon. He wasn't ready. Lucas wasn't ready.

As if in a dream, he found himself stumbling towards Kristin's office, praying that she would offer an ulterior explanation to the one his brain kept foisting on him. "Kristin, what's going on?...Lucas?" The doctor looked up at him, unshed tears welling in her hazel eyes. She wiped at them in embarrassment, turning away from him until she had collected herself. "Oh, Nathan, I wasn't expecting..."  
"Kristin, what's wrong? Is it Lucas?" Determined not to let himself believe the boy dead, he tried to sound casual. "I went to his room and they've remade the bed."  
Kristin nodded, vigorously, shaking herself back into doctor mode. "Yes, he's been moved. He's in the ICU now." A tremor entered her voice and one hand flew to her mouth. Nathan pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. "Kristin, what's the matter?" At first she said nothing, her shoulders shaking with sobs as she clutched him tightly.  
Finally, she spoke. "He's getting worse, Nathan. We don't know anything about this thing and it's killing him...and I don't know what else to do. I should be able to do something!"  
Nathan stroked her hair, trying to calm her. "No, no, you're doing everything you can."  
Kristin pulled roughly away from him, "But this is what I was trained for! The only thing I excel in, that I should be able do better than anyone else, is saving people's lives. I can't even do that, Nathan. I can't even save that poor boy's life and I have no idea what is causing him such pain or how to relieve it or..."  
Nathan grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to focus on his face. "No, listen to me. Kristin, you are the best doctor I have ever seen. I know that, this crew knows that, Lucas knows that. Only God can give us a miracle and nobody is asking you to provide it."  
"But I am. It shouldn't be like this. I just want to do more. I can't keep sitting in this office achieving nothing...!"  
Cutting her short, Bridger said, "Kristin, take a deep breath and stop for a minute. Okay? Try to look at this rationally. You've tried all the conventional treatments and O'Neill is close to tracking Dr. Olafsson down. He'll be able to shed some light on this, but right now you need to rest. Get some sleep and give yourself a chance to recuperate. Isn't that what you've been saying to me all week?" He managed to squeeze a small smile from behind the doctor's frown.  
Recollecting herself, Nathan was relieved to see an inkling of the old Kristin again. "Well, I could do with a few hours' nap."  
"Good. Now it's my turn to shoo you out of medbay. I'll oversee everything here. As soon as I've spoken to Olafsson, I'll sit with Lucas for a while."

Emory Olafsson was enjoying a hard-earned whiskey in front of the wide-screen television at his favourite bar. It was like molten gold down his throat as he sat joking with the other regulars, a reminder of the simple pleasures in life. There were tiny chinks in his days when the doctor completely forgot about the polychromatite project he had been forced to abandon. Then the bitterness would resurface, all the turmoil and fear of what might happen to him if he didn't come up with a solution pretty quickly.

He had seen the bulletin on the news earlier that day stating that the prestigious Westview Biochemical Facility was facing a change of hands after the death of its founder, Dr. Eric Wagner. The newsreader went on to catalogue the scientist's lengthy achievements in various fields. Of course nothing was made of his recent involvement on the MEDS station. It was not surprising. Both men had been careful to conceal any of their private work...although it was a relief to Olafsson to hear proof that nobody had discovered them.

At first the news of Wagner's death had shocked him greatly, leaving him wondering what would become of his own involvement. Of course, he had quickly seen past his so-called friend's deception and put himself in the same position. Emory had to give it to him, Eric was quick off the mark. It was only a matter of time before one of them came up with the genius idea of a faked suicide. As scientists with a passing knowledge in forensics, they could generate a suitably convincing death scene. There would be all the inevitable suspicions but ultimately nobody would have a hold on them and that was all that mattered.

Assessing the situation over a whiskey, he started to feel like a fool. Wagner had been investigated for days, all of which had proven fairly fruitless, but had instantly put a plan into motion which would free him from the tethers of prison or any other punishment. In contrast, Olafsson was a sitting duck, returning to his post at Anchorage without so much as a leg to stand on should the UEO come looking for him. He'd better come up with a plan of his own...and quickly.

A gust of wind alerted him to some more frequenters of the bar as the door swung open. Olafsson glanced in their direction and was horrified to see three UEO representatives heading directly towards him. That plan had better happen fast or this duck was going to be dinner.

"How is he?" Katie Hitchcock hovered in the doorway of Lucas' room, bearing a bunch of flowers and a bulging paper bag. Nathan opened his mouth to speak then glanced back at the monitors beside the teenager's bed. "Right now this minute, not too bad. Goodness knows how long we've got before the next phase starts, whatever that is."  
Seeing Bridger so dejected made the commander wish she hadn't asked such a stupid question. It was quite obvious how Lucas was. He was hooked up to three IV lines, an EKG monitor and a respirator linked to a tube running down his throat. Although the beats were steady and regular, the very fact that the boy needed so much assistance was not promising. Shifting over to the bed, she gazed down at the small form, pale and lifeless against the starched sheets. "Can he hear us?"  
"I don't know. I've been talking to him anyway."  
Katie plunged the flowers into the water jug beside the bed. "Sorry they're a bit wilted. They didn't have very careful handling on the way down. Still, at least they've still got petals on them..." She spoke too soon when, with a slight knock, a cascade of white and red confetti sprinkled onto the table. Nathan stifled a laugh when he saw the commander's angry expression. Anyone would have thought she had been unjustly demoted from the way she glared at the miserable flowers. It was hardly surprising that her marriage to Krieg had been so short lived. With his thick skin and her temperament, overstepping the mark into argument territory would not have taken long. "They're lovely. I'm sure Lucas appreciates them."  
Katie's eyes melted a little. "Well, I know guys aren't into flora much, but it's tradition, right?"  
Hastily moving on from that unsuccessful present, she opened the bag. "Anyway, the guys have had a bit of a whip round, not to mention the number of cards Lucas has got."  
Pulling out a wad of envelopes, she handed them to Bridger. The captain felt his heart swell with happiness at the huge number of people who had taken the time to order cards and show the teenager how much they cared. "That's nice."  
Between the two of them, within fifteen minutes the room was looking more like a carnival with brightly coloured greetings cards adorning every flat surface. Nathan would read the messages aloud and occasionally recite a joke from the cover.

Finally, Katie took her cue to leave, allowing the captain some more time alone with Lucas. "So, kiddo, you see how many friends you've got here. It's not time to check out just yet. Besides, you've got a ton of chocolates to get through and I'll never manage them all myself."  
He took the boy's hand in his own. It felt strange, as if the hand didn't belong to Lucas at all. It was hard to believe that they could be the same fingers which typed furiously, flying over a keyboard with lightning speed. "Lucas, I know you're fighting this thing, that you're doing your best. We think Dr. Olafsson will know what's wrong with you and then he'll bring you back to us. But, whatever you do, don't give up." Reflexively, he squeezed the hand, hoping that if words couldn't reach the boy, touch might.

He was just in the middle of explaining to Lucas what had happened to Wagner when there was a sharp rap at the door and Tim O'Neill's face appeared.  
"Captain Bridger? Dr. Olafsson's shuttle has just arrived in docking bay."  
Nathan glanced at his watch in surprise. He had been expecting speed and efficiency from the UEO but not from the scientist. Noyce had sent the order barely a few hours ago and yet they had already tracked Olafsson down. He was impressed but perturbed that he hadn't been given longer to prepare. There were still a lot of medical and technical points which Nathan was unclear about and he had been hoping to clear them up with Kristin. He would just have to rely on her to ask all the right questions when the doctor arrived. The quicker they got started, the quicker Lucas would be back on his feet. "I'm on my way. Call Dr. Westphalen, too."  
Turning back to the teenager, he whispered, "Hang in there, kiddo."  
He was not looking forward to this meeting one bit. They barely had any hard evidence to hold against Olafsson at the moment. The captain's tactic currently consisted of bluffing, assuming that the doctor was involved with Wagner all the way. Hopefully, his surety would break a full confession from him.

Emory Olafsson set foot in the docking bay with trembling hands. He prayed that Captain Bridger would not choose to shake his hand, probably not, considering what they must think of him. The scientist was disgusted with his own weakness, the fact that he felt physically nauseous with the prospect of what the UEO had in store for him. What game were they playing now? Why had they brought him back to seaQuest, tracked down and accompanied by soldiers? If they had uncovered the truth, that he knew nothing about that damned rock, why would they bother with such precautions? It wasn't as if he were dangerous, just foolish perhaps. Olafsson wasn't given the opportunity to dwell on it any longer as Dr. Westphalen and Captain Bridger strode into view.  
"Dr. Olafsson, please step this way."  
Nathan's voice was serious and unforgiving, but Kristin managed a small smile at the doctor. She knew that Bridger was only trying to prevent Olafsson from squirming out of any responsibility, but she felt that a more congenial approach was in order. Careful not to undermine the captain's work, she tried to make the doctor feel a little more at ease.

They settled in the ward room, Nathan taking his place imposingly at the head of the table with Kristin at his side. "I assume, doctor, that you have been informed of Dr. Wagner's disappearance?"  
Olafsson shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Uh, I have heard of his unfortunate suicide, yes."  
Nathan raised his eyebrows, sceptically. "Well, that is what he would have us believe, but I'm sure you are party to the truth." Emory suddenly realized what all of this was about. They had figured out that he was in collaboration over the cave-in but the UEO had misinterpreted how far their alliance went. Neither man had spoken to the other since before the incident at the station. He laughed nervously. "I'm not quite sure I understand you, captain."  
Kristin could see Nathan's customary diplomacy falling away, cords of tension tightening in his neck and sending an unhealthy flush of colour to his cheeks. She knew what he was thinking, that every precious second wasted playing mind games with this man was another step towards the brink of oblivion for Lucas. "Perhaps you are aware, doctor, that seaQuest is home to some of the most advanced research for quite some time. It follows that it should also house some of the nation's best marine biologists, many of whom have spent a significant amount of time in other fields before accepting a position with the UEO."  
Olafsson attempted a wan smile. "Yes, they are greatly coveted by laboratories around the world."  
Nathan barely heard what the man said, already forming his next point.  
"The cave-in which you so carefully planned with your colleague failed in every way, Mr. Olafsson. Not only did you fail to kill our scientists but you only alerted us to the fact that there was something to hide. Now, our research team has been looking into this polychromatite and all our results are conclusive. There is absolutely nothing in it's constitution which coincides with what Wagner claimed, leading us to believe that you have been lying all along."  
The captain looked to Kristin to back him up and she passed some notes towards Olafsson. "This rock is the result of extreme pressure and heat, pressed beneath layers of glacial rock for possibly thousands of years. I think if you look through those results, we have been very thorough. We have left no room for error or assumptions."  
Olafsson thumbed through the pages, his mind blankly gazing at the equations and numbers written there, but not seeing them. His mind was racing with questions as to which direction this interrogation might go next, what they were ultimately trying to winkle out of him.

Nathan was growing more impatient with each passing second. He wanted to get Olafsson out of this room and into a laboratory where he could finally do something useful. "I'll get straight to the point, doctor. Whatever my personal opinion, the UEO is currently forced to assume that Eric Wagner is dead. That leaves you as our only source of information concerning polychromatite. Respective of the illegal operations you have been carrying out to transform this rock set against our belief that there is no evidence to support your work, I want to hear the truth from you. Is this rock just a naturally occurring phenomenon which you are hoping to make commercial profit from or have you honestly outwitted our entire science team and UEO lawyers?"  
Olafsson opened his mouth to speak, then paused, prompting Nathan to add, "Tell us the truth and your punishment will be significantly lighter...but if you lie, the law will come down on you harder than you believed possible. You'll start wishing you had followed Wagner's example."  
Olafsson tried to push his own fear to the back of his mind and give way to rational thought. He had to weigh up the pros and cons of every scenario, try and work out what they wanted from him in all of this. Why had they brought him back to seaQuest? Bridger had said nothing which couldn't have been said in a court of law. There had to be a better reason than just wanting to do this face to face. There must be something they needed him for here. He couldn't keep up this farce any longer. If he lied, he would only be forced to explain how polychromatite was made and he didn't know.  
"It is naturally occurring." He watched the faces with marked interest, afraid yet intrigued as to how they would respond. He was met with blankness.

Nathan felt his heart sinking in his chest. There went Lucas' only real chance. He looked to Kristin and the earnest expression on her face. He had seen that look before; it asked him to give the man a chance, to offer him the deal, regardless.  
"Dr. Olafsson. You've had a long time to think about the legality of what you have done. I doubt I have to remind you of its consequences should you be tried in a court of law. So, I'm going to offer you a deal. Lucas Wolenczak is currently resting in the ICU due to an unidentifiable substance infiltrating his bloodstream which is causing significant damage to his body. In light of recent events, Dr. Westphalen believes exposure to polychromatite to be a direct contributor to his condition."  
Things were looking up. Okay, so there was pressure to save the boy's life, but if he could escape imprisonment for the MEDS project, anything would be an improvement. Olafsson nodded, seriously. "You want me to find a cure."  
Kristin tried to hide the warm smile which matched the feeling of relief washing over her. "With my help, of course. My team are still working on blood samples as we speak. Will you assist us?"  
Emory's mouth twitched into a wary smile. "Of course. You have a deal, captain. I will do my utmost to save Wolenczak."  
Nathan stood up to shake hands with the doctor, despite the hatred still coursing through his veins. Olafsson might be helping them now but, were it not for him, Lucas would never have been in hospital in the first place. Cleo would not be dead and none of this would be happening. Kristin hastily withdrew Olafsson from the room, heading directly to the laboratories, leaving Nathan alone again.


	11. Out Of The Blue - Part 11

OUT OF THE BLUE (PART ELEVEN)

By Allegra

See Part One for disclaimers etc.

As if in a dream, Bridger found himself back in Lucas' room, but he could not bring himself to sit down. He felt an overwhelming wave of self-loathing. The deluge of new information and fluctuating events had forced him to make decisions as a captain which he might not have made as a father. He had barely had the chance to assess how Lucas might feel about all of this. In a few short moments, Nathan felt as if he had betrayed the teenager. In saving Lucas' life, he was also pardoning Cleo's killer. How would the teenager deal with knowing that his saviour had put her in an early grave?

Eventually, he stopped pacing and sat beside the bed. "I'm sorry, Lucas. I had to make this decision... but I'm sorry that it had to be like this. I hope you'll be able to understand that I couldn't bear to lose you. Revenge on Olafsson could never justify your death." Nathan longed to touch the youngster, to hold his hand again, to brush that stray lock of blonde hair from his forehead, but his own revulsion prevented him. Would Lucas want him touching him at all? To the captain, there was no other option, but life was viewed through very different eyes for a teenager. Lucas had suffered so much in his short life and it was difficult to anticipate his response to anything. Who knew what that genius mind scarred by so much pain would make of Bridger's decision.  
"I love you, Lucas...and I won't let you go."

Katie looked up from her book when somebody moving outside the door of her quarters caught her eye. She could plainly make out Ben, hovering in the hallway, and she quietly swung her legs off the bed to open the door. "If you're trying to spy, I wouldn't give up my day job just yet." Ben attempted a laugh but he was far from amused. He thought himself to be quite stealthy when he chose... obviously this was not one of those moments. He pondered trying to cover his tracks but opted for the truth. He'd never fool Katie. "Oh, it's probably just the overhead lighting. I'm much better at it in the dark. Commander, I was just, uh, passing and I..."  
Katie humoured his clumsy excuses until laughter and impatience got the better of her. "Ben, did you want something? If this is a social call, I think we can get away with the 'commander' title." She opened the door wider and let the flustered lieutenant in.

Ben hovered uncertainly in the centre of the room, unsure where he should sit or what he should do. "Listen Katie, I..." He stopped and Hitchcock felt her heart sink. She had seen that expression way too many times to ignore its message; confusion mingled with a second of vulnerability.  
"No, Ben, don't go any further. We've talked about this, I thought we'd figured it out. What happened was..."  
"No, I wasn't going to say anything like that. No, no, I just... I guess I just needed a friend, okay." He adopted a defensive stance and Katie knew how much discipline it must have taken to admit. He was 'Mr. Self-Contained' most of the time, never needing anyone, but the commander was glad that Ben felt able to come to her. Clearly, their brief marriage had counted for something at least.  
Krieg sat down. "I guess, that and a whole load of other stuff. I don't know."  
He shook his head, shrugging off the thoughts. "I don't want to get all sentimental on ya. We both know that's not pretty." Katie tried to diffuse the situation, make him feel a bit more at ease. "Oh, you mean like the time you nearly proposed to me? I reckon there are still people telling that story at family dinners. The expensive dress, the exclusive restaurant..."  
Ben finished, "Yeah and don't forget the very unhygienic lake."  
Katie laughed, "That was the most embarrassing day of my entire life! I can't help but think it was God's message telling us it wasn't meant to be. Too bad we didn't listen."  
Ben raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, come on, give us some credit! We had a few good times...for a while."  
Katie nodded, remembering how gallantly he had pulled her out of that lake and onto the pristine decking of the restaurant. Even soaking wet, he had looked gorgeous - that smile, those playful eyes. Tearing her mind quickly away before encroaching memories caused the pair to lose all rational thought again, she grinned, "Well, I don't think there are any stray crabs in here, so feel free to be as sentimental as you want."  
A residual smile still plastered on his face, Ben shook his head, "Oh, I don't know, it's nothing really. I guess with everything that's going on, I just wanted some semblance of normality."  
"So you picked me?!"  
"Well, you know I hate to admit it, but you know me best out of this entire crew...except perhaps Lucas sometimes. The rest of the bridge crew are acting like he's gonna, well, you know. I don't want to believe that, Katie. I mean, I saw that kid when he was lying under a pile of rubble with no medical attention at all and no painkillers even though it must have been excruciating. Even then, he was fighting harder than I could have done. I know it's stupid but I had this idea that as soon as he got back to seaQuest everything would be all right. He'd make it through no matter what." Ben paused, taking in for the first time how much their world had changed in such a short time.  
"I can't believe how much impact he's having on me, on everyone, on the way I see things now. Does that sound callous?"  
Katie shook her head, warmly. "Not at all. Nobody knows what something like this will do to them. Sometimes, we don't know how much we love someone until that chance is nearly out of our grasp."  
Ben swallowed, sharply. "You think he's slipping, Katie? Do you think I've missed my chance to...?"  
"No. He's still with us, Ben. And he knows how you feel."  
Ben looked up at his ex-wife with a curious expression. "Where did you learn to say all the right things, commander? 'Coz if it was at the academy, I must have skipped class."  
Katie smiled, "Instinct and experience." Closing her hand around his, she added, "And women are always better at that."

"Dr. Westphalen, I know that I have been foolish and lives have been lost because of it, but I am sorry for what has happened." Kristin felt herself stiffen with the forced words. She knew that Olafsson meant every syllable, but only because he was in danger of losing his hide. It sent shivers down her spine to think that he imagined her capable of forgiving him when Lucas' life hung in the balance. Perhaps Nathan had been right to treat the scientist with contempt if this was what compassion brought. The more time she spent with Olafsson the more pitiable he appeared in her eyes. There was nothing left to his grand scheme and now he was forced to grovel and display his own cowardice once more. Kristin couldn't decide which was worse, the man who fake suicide to avoid confrontation or the man who was too paralysed by fear even to come up with a plan. She wouldn't stand here and listen to any excuses or pleads for pardon after he was responsible for so much suffering.  
"Dr. Olafsson, I am sorry if I have given the wrong impression. I don't care a jot about your guilty conscience. Your apologies are worth exactly nothing in my eyes and the eyes of everyone else aboard this boat. There is not enough generosity in this world to negate your wrongdoings. Saving Lucas is your only chance to redirect your path to redemption, so I suggest you channel efforts into this work instead of bothering me with your whining."

Turning back to the blood work she had been examining, Kristin waited with bated breath to hear the man's reprehensible footsteps moving away from her.

Olafsson stepped back to the bench where he had been working. He hated every one of these UEO employees for the way they always ruined everything, waltzing in with their rules and regulations, hiding under the banner of human rights. They declared themselves a peace keeping organization yet they had torpedoes and weapons aboard and the newspapers were filled with their battle conquests. Still, inexplicably, Emory wanted to be accepted by them. Now, he suddenly found himself vying for their attention and respect as much as he had done with professors at university. Perhaps Westphalen was right, that it was simply cowardice which drove him. If you can't beat the enemy, join their ranks like the turncoat you have always been. Were Wagner here, they would no doubt continue their conspiracy, plotting another course of action to achieve their own gluttonous ends. Olafsson could admit to himself at least that his every move was motivated by selfish gain.

Catching Kristin's disapproving glance, he took a deep breath and turned back to the experiment he had been conducting. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it properly and to the best of his abilities. Who knew what bonus rewards might lie ahead if he saved this wretched genius kid's life?

Kristin hurriedly got together a blood kit for another sample, heading quickly into Lucas' room. It didn't seem to matter how many times she walked in there and saw his childlike body lying vulnerable and weakened, it continued to shock her. Every time was slightly different, her reactions altered with each glimpse of his failing strength. This was the first time she had been properly alone with him since he had been brought into medbay. She was usually accompanied by a nurse or there were people bustling in and out with medications or forms for her to sign. Now, the many contrasts struck Kristin with brutal force - the incessant, rhythmic beats of all the machines set against Lucas' utter silence.

His skin looked translucent, like a hologram which she was almost afraid to touch in case he melted away before her eyes. Whatever life the teenager had possessed before was suddenly obliterated by his unnatural surroundings, technical machinery. The human was replaced with a bold statement declaring our brief walk in this world to be doubly insignificant. Lucas might not survive but the respirator would be used again, tethering another person to Earth for a millisecond longer. The sheets would wash away his presence and the cards would eventually find a place in a dusty box, another inanimate reminder that he had once existed. Everything else in this room would continue to be used for an indeterminate period when Lucas was long in the grave.

The longer Kristin stood silently beside the bed, the harder it became to tear herself away, as if with a single movement Lucas would dissolve like so much dust in the gentle breeze. Once again her hand reached out to him, syringe poised to take another drop of his poisoned blood. Pressing the vial against cool flesh, she found herself struggling for breath. Heaving gulps issued from her chest and Kristin put one hand to her mouth, hoping to soak up the choking sob which fought against her resolve. He was still alive. Lucas was still alive...and yet she felt as if he was gone already. Only physical touch could unleash the torrent of emotions long building inside the doctor. Her life had already adjusted itself to the youngster's absence, not because she had resigned herself to never finding a cure, but because her treacherous mind had already filed him away somewhere. How could her brain divide itself so? How could she feel such overwhelming love and sorrow, be aching with despair and hollowness, when her mind had already let him go?

Leaning down, she pressed her lips gently to the boy's cheek, his youthful skin softening beneath her touch. She whispered into his hair, "I love you." Grasping her sample, she returned to the lab and resigned herself to the part of her work which left no room for human compassion.

The next two hours passed interminably and Westphalen was despairing. She knew that no matter how skilled a scientist she might be, there simply wasn't knowledge enough in her body to understand all of this alone. That had been the hope in bringing Olafsson aboard; he might take a different approach and open up a side of herself she had been unaware of. Instead, he had only confirmed that they faced the complete unknown and they were grasping at straws. The only certainty they had found was that the substance in Lucas' arteries was indeed particles of polychromatite.

Looking up, she noticed a smile creeping across Emory's face. Catching her eye, he beckoned Kristin over. "I think we might have a breakthrough, Dr. Westphalen."  
The words were like sweet music to her ears. "What is it?"  
Olafsson held up the blood work for her to see. "The polychromatite is solvent and it is disintegrating just like sodium chloride crystals. The coating on Lucas' arteries has completely disappeared. From what you can see here, I think I have a theory. Since the human body is two thirds water, the positively charged sodium ions are being attracted to the negative oxygen poles of water molecules in Lucas' cells. Similarly, the negative lithium ions in the rock are being pulled towards the negatively charged hydrogen poles. Now, we have already ascertained that the structure of the rock was altered through the intense heat caused by the cave-in explosion. Perhaps the presence of these water molecules has triggered another mutation in the polychromatite's structure."  
Kristin examined the theory which Olafsson had sketchily committed to paper in front of him. "How did it get into Lucas' blood stream?"  
"Well, you said that his leg miraculously healed itself in a matter of days?"  
Westphalen nodded, vigorously. "And you think that the wound in his leg was the point of entry?"  
Olafsson shrugged, modestly, knowing that she was very impressed with his finds. "Just like the fish outside the MEDS station ingested it, perhaps broken skin can also allow the substance in." Adopting a serious tone, the scientist looked at Kristin with unwavering concentration.  
"Doctor Westphalen, Wagner's original claim that we had manufactured the polychromatite in that cave was not entirely unfounded. When he first arrived at the station, that was our intention. Joint research indicated that it would be possible, that the structure could be altered during transitions set in motion by immense heat or pressure. Although we had not managed to put that into practice, the theory still stands and we had hoped to achieve it by the time industrial resources ran dry. Nobody would've be any the wiser."

Kristin sensed where this was leading but she listened to Olafsson's words patiently. "From the few details we know about this rock, my theory is that through his injury in the cave-in, Lucas became an inhibitor to the rock's next phase of transformation, a blockade as it tried to reform itself into a new structure. In the tests which we carried out at the station, we found that polychromatite responded to many different stimuli."  
Kristin offered, "Yes, when Lucas breathed on it, close contact with concentrated carbon dioxide altered its hues."  
"Now look at this." Placing a small amount of blood into a petri dish, Olafsson shoved it under the microscope and gestured for Kristin to look in. "This is a sample of my own blood to use as a control. Lucas' is diseased already."  
Kristin examined the perfectly normal cells for a moment, then Olafsson drew her away, removing the petri dish. "Now look what happens when I add a drop of the substance from his blood."  
Using a teat pipette, he carefully added the contents to the dish and returned it to the microscope. Peering into the lens, Westphalen was startled and excited to see the control cells slowly reducing in size as they became crenated. The higher pressure solution of the liquid polychromatite was rapidly causing an osmotic loss of water by the cells. Pulling away, the doctor couldn't help the grin which crept across her face. Finally, they had found some semblance of hope.  
"Dr. Olafsson, I think you've made a breakthrough!"  
The scientist felt a warm glow that he had done something right for once, that despite his faults, someone was appreciating his efforts. That was more than most of his previous colleagues had done. "Do not be too hasty, Dr. Westphalen. There is still much work to be done. My first instinct would be to give the patient a transfusion, but you have already done that and it has made no impact. I still do not know what to suggest."  
Kristin nodded, grimly. "As long as there are enough molecules of this polychromatite in his body, the new blood cells are affected as they enter his system. Before long, the problem will spread through his body, from the intracellular water to extracellular. But how on earth are we supposed to get this stuff out of him?"  
Olafsson cleared his throat, uncertainly. "Well, there is one way." He scrutinized Westphalen's face for some kind of gauge as to whether he should go on and the urgency in her eyes was clear as day. Right now, these people would do anything to get that genius kid back in good health.  
"Considering his state and the likelihood of us finding an antidote in time, his chances are slim if we wait. This is dangerous at best and the risk of death..."  
"What is it?"  
"We bleed him dry, take as much blood as possible while simultaneously disrupting the charge properties of the ions which remain."  
Kristin's eyes widened in horror. "It would kill him!"  
"Probably...but it is his only chance. Looking at what we have here, I know there is nothing more we can do." He was shocked by the softness creeping into his own voice as he saw the fear in Westphalen's eyes. He had not felt sympathetic towards anyone's cause in a long time. Olafsson's contact with human patients had been limited to his days as a young man, long before disillusionment with the world sent him into the recesses of lonely laboratories to study the inanimate. He had gratefully gone underground, all but forgotten by society. Seeing the inner struggle undergone in front of him dimly reminded him of a day when he had cared what happened to those around him, when there was something beyond selfish motivation to spur him on in any quest. Conjuring up unprecedented empathy, he lowered his voice.  
"Doctor, I can see that this is difficult for you. As an objective party, it is important to I remind you that Lucas Wolenczak is suffering from a disease of the blood. It has not spread too far yet but it is only a matter of time before his body is beyond repair. We know next to nothing about this substance, whether it will mutate once more in his bloodstream. We must act now while we can. Any longer and its effects may go beyond our control."  
Kristin's gaze wandered longingly towards the doors of the medbay. In her mind she knew that Olafsson was right but in her heart there was nothing but fear and apprehension. She could not make this decision alone. "I should speak to the captain."  
Olafsson gently grasped her arm as she moved towards the door. "Captain Bridger gave you full control of this situation, did he not?" Kristin nodded, fearfully. "Then I ask you not to tell him. I know that you do not trust me. I have given you no reason to...but in my experience I have learned that such decisions are difficult for non-scientists to comprehend. They can only see their loved ones, they do not see beyond the danger you are putting them in. They want us to work miracles, convincing themselves that if they wait a little longer, the answers will come. They will not. There is no time. Lucas will die. Don't allow emotions to cloud your judgement. Think with your head."

Kristin found herself strangely touched by the loathsome man's speech. How could this monster nearly kill them only to turn around and see into her heart, into her mind? No matter what she wanted to do at that exact moment, she knew that Olafsson was right. Without a full working knowledge of everything Kristin and Emory had discovered, nobody could understand the decision she was now being forced to make about Lucas' future. If it failed, the blame would fall on her shoulders alone, but there was no other way. "We'll need a transfusion kit immediately."

Without pausing to see the smug expression which she imagined to find on the scientist's face, Kristin quickly headed into medbay for supplies. Olafsson had been surprisingly sensitive throughout the investigations but, ultimately, the doctor knew that he would take as much pleasure in the technical machinations and scientific disinterest, as she would in seeing progress in their patient. Kristin simply wanted to keep busy, refusing to indulge any feeling she experienced towards Lucas. It would weaken her if she did. She was certain that if she thought about him for even a moment, she wouldn't be able to go through with any of this.

Within half an hour, Lucas had been moved to the OR and the room was looking like something out of a science fiction film rather than a medical bay. Tubes and wires tracked around the bed, some inserted into veins and arteries, others wiring him up to various machines. The plan was to begin by taking out as much affected blood as possible while monitoring Lucas' heart. This was to be followed by pulsing an electrical charge through the boy's body in an attempt to destroy the polychromatite substance now dissolved in his blood stream. Then, new blood would be pumped back into his system and everything done to help the youngster recover.

Once all the appropriate equipment was set up, Kristin found herself once again struggling for breath. This was not the same as sitting beside Lucas' bed as he steadily worsened. She felt like a murderer or, at the very least, accessory to it. In spite of all her efforts to remain indifferent, she could not begin this without saying goodbye...just in case. Turning to Olafsson, Kristin looked him in the eye, hoping to find some kindness there.  
"I'd like a moment alone with him, if you don't mind."  
The scientist nodded, curtly. "I'll be next door." He glanced over at the inert boy on the bed. "But doctor, time is of the essence."

Kristin waited until she heard the door swing closed behind him before sitting on the edge of the bed.  
She had been responsible for making decisions about people's bodies for much of her adult life, often placing them in risky situations in the hope of improving their quality of life. Rarely had Kristin ever fully appreciated the impact those decisions had, the stream of cataclysmic events which might ensue for the patient's family. Now, all those statistics and percentages came flooding back to her in bright technicolour. To any other doctor, Lucas was just one of those anonymous people, a number to be dealt with and the disease matched to the most effective course of action.

Westphalen knew what would happen to his body if he was bled dry, the strain this was going to place on someone so young, someone with so much healing to do already. The measures were extreme and even a grown man who was as strong as an ox would have a difficult recovery, but a child... Although Lucas was no longer literally a child anymore, somehow that only made the situation worse. He was the first step on the road to a bright future, to all the good things about life where he didn't have to worry about the father looking over his shoulder or being shipped off to wherever his parents chose to send him next. The world was his oyster and Kristin knew it would not be long before the teenager began to see a new path. Was she really going to be the one to take all that away from him? After being assigned to seaQuest, Lucas' parents had handed any decisions about the teenager's health to Captain Bridger who had, in turn, given her permission. There was no one else to ask. The decision lay on the doctor's shoulders alone.

Staring down at the youthful face, she inwardly grimaced at the sickly pallor trickling through his flesh, devouring any thread of healthy colour. Kristin manoeuvred herself so that she was sitting near the head of the gurney, smoothing the hair from the boy's face with maternal care.  
"Lucas, if you can hear me, I...I want you to fight as hard as you can. I know it's hard...but I need you. We all need you." She wiped a stray tear from her cheek.  
"I wish I knew I was making the right decision, that this is what you want. As your doctor, I can't see any other way but as family, I can't bear the thought of losing you. So you must fight it. Fight the urge to sleep, to let us slip away. Please."  
The words choked in her throat and she kissed the boy's hand fiercely, squeezing it tightly as if imagining somehow Lucas must be able to feel her. Pressing one more kiss to his forehead, Kristin marched from the room. She could not bear to spare another desperate glance back at him. She had the strength to walk away now, but she wasn't sure there was restraint enough to do it again.

Olafsson was busily checking through the drug supplies and immediately began wittering on about various possibilities to kick start Lucas' system once the procedures were over. Kristin's mind was only half listening but she struggled against the shock, trying to win back a degree of self possession. She needed to be completely alert. Lucas was relying on her to pull him through and there was no room for error.

Olafsson noticed the vaguely glazed expression on the doctor's face and he trailed off, staring over her shoulder towards the medical room. "Are we ready?"  
Kristin heard herself reply, "Let's do this."

Captain Bridger was pacing his quarters without even realizing it. It just followed that as soon as he reached one end of the room, something made him turn and walk to the other, then again and again. It was like those days when you rush somewhere only to forget entirely what you wanted from there. In this case, Nathan was pacing to try and catch hold of one of the myriad of thoughts ploughing through his mind. There were so many yet, if someone were to come in and ask him, he wouldn't have a clue what a single one of them was. With each pace, he tried to reel one in, but they would never come...and he knew why. There was a very simple explanation for all the irrational and uncontrollable feelings he had been experiencing and they stemmed from a certain person fighting for his life in medbay.

Kristin had told him to leave, that they would inform him as soon as they made any progress. He had received a quick update a couple of hours ago but the information had not been encouraging. However, Nathan had been grateful to hear Westphalen's opinion on Dr. Olafsson. Apparently, he had been quite co-operative and so progress was likely to be quicker than they had originally anticipated. When she signed off, Kristin had bluntly told the captain that it was likely to be many hours before they found anything else. Bridger understood the implications of that all too well. It meant 'stay away and don't bother us. Don't call us, we'll call you'. It was probably the hardest lesson the captain would ever have to learn.

He had not even bothered to try and occupy himself with work. He felt completely useless. The one thought he was capable of retaining was the recurring fear that a solution would never be found. He would have spent all this time pacing round his room when he could and should have been at Lucas' side, helping him through his last hours. It was torture not knowing which way Fate would spin them.

Blood pooled in the receptacles placed at the foot of the bed; all Lucas' strength and life silently ebbing from his veins. It was frightening to see, the horrifying fact that there was not even a flicker of pain or suffering on that pale face. Perhaps the poor boy was screaming inside, begging them to stop, when nobody could hear him. Or perhaps they had already lost him and this was an empty vessel.

Kristin found herself strangely grateful for Dr. Olafsson's presence. When all of this had begun, nothing could have prepared her for what they now faced. She considered herself a strong woman but, without the scientist's rational mind pressuring her on, Kristin knew in her heart that she might not have had the willpower to perform this torturous procedure alone. When it came to those she loved, the doctor lacked the courage of her convictions. It was always easier to sit by and pray for a miracle rather than voluntarily aggravate the pain and suffering already afflicting them. Without Olafsson, Lucas' misery might have been prolonged...but it might have been alleviated in time.

"Doctor? The bleeding is almost complete. His heart is failing."  
Kristin jumped up and reached for the defibrillator paddles. "Okay, charging. Clear!"  
The scientist stood back as Lucas' body arched involuntarily, volts of electricity coursing through his weakened body. The monitors beeped uncertainly before slowly evening out.  
Olafsson hurriedly prepared the second stage, producing an evil-looking contraption which would be used to send small amounts of electrical current through his body without burning internal organs. Kristin busied herself with organising the next transfusion process, preferring to leave the rest to the scientist. She couldn't stand to watch as he attached electrodes to Lucas' body, adjusting the settings and flicking the switch.

A dim humming noise came from deep inside the box and Kristin watched in horror as it did its work. Lucas' body lay still, his heartbeat coming in tremulous starts, and she was certain it would give out at any moment. For five minutes, the pair waited in deafening silence for the substance to be diffused from the boy's system. Suddenly, the EKG monitor squealed as the teenager's heart finally gave out. Kristin was doing chest compressions before she was even fully aware of what was happening.

Dr. Olafsson charged the defibrillator paddles and delivered jolts of electricity to Lucas' body. Still there was nothing. Kristin snatched them away from him, "250! Charged! Clear!"  
She watched in horror as the monitor refused to pick up a beat. She barked, "Start rapid infusion."  
Olafsson looked at her in amazement, as if it were the most preposterous idea he had ever heard. "What?! But we don't know if the toxins are out of his system yet!"  
Kristin cranked the defibrillator current up another fifty joules, praying that Lucas would be able to hold onto the beat this time. Relief washed over her momentarily when an irregular beeping greeted her efforts. She turned to Olafsson who had made no move to do as she had asked. "I don't care. We have to stop now. His body can't take any more."  
"But..."  
"No! He is my patient and I say that we begin the infusion immediately." Her voice was firm and Emory could see that there was no changing her mind. He had no personal attachments to this kid, he didn't care whether he lived or died. It was the lost experiment which he resented, the fact that Westphalen was rendering their work redundant if the substance had not yet been eliminated.  
"Very well."  
Quickly, he set up the fresh blood and extra plasma on the stand beside the bed. Setting the infusion flow as high as the boy's body could cope with, Olafsson stepped away. Now all they could do was wait.

Looking over at the thin, infirm frame of the youngster, he couldn't help wondering how the kid had even made it this far. There didn't seem to be flesh enough to cope with a cave-in and then a lethal poison leeching his energy away with each passing moment. Seeing the stillness, the dark bruises of his sunken eyes, Olafsson bore little hope of survival. Still, he might be responsible for a great deal of suffering here, but he was not completely heartless. Emory knew that Wolenczak was surrounded by people who clearly cared a great deal about him and he would not be the one to deliver the final blow. Westphalen was a clever woman and she wouldn't be blind to the facts of what lay ahead. Stepping out into the hallway, he went to wash up.

Kristin carefully pulled the hospital gown up over Lucas' bare shoulders, removing the protective pads placed on his chest from the defibrillators. His skin was cool to the touch, tinged with an unhealthy blue colour. She arranged the blankets around his body, wrapping gel packs which had been heated in the microwave inside. Stroking his hair away, Kristin cupped his face in her hands while being careful not to knock the respirator still supporting his breathing.  
"Lucas, it's all done now. You just hang in there."  
It was more worrying to imagine that he was aware of everything which was happening to him, but the doctor didn't know what else to say. She was so worried and, beyond physical touch, there was little comfort anyone could offer him.

Looking around at the debris of the procedure, Kristin was shocked by how terrible the scene would appear to an outsider. Empty blood bags littered the floor and syringes were tossed haphazardly into trays.

She glanced up as Dr. Olafsson entered already changed into new scrubs, reminding Kristin of how bloodied hers had become during the hasty transfusion changes. "I should go and tell Captain Bridger... just as soon as I clear up some of this mess."  
Olafsson nodded, "How are his vitals?"  
Kristin sighed, "Pulse rate is 90/70 and his breathing is entirely dependant on the respirator...but it's too early to tell."  
"I suggest we give the boy a few hours to recuperate before taking another sample and testing it and you inform the captain."

Kristin shook her head, clasping Lucas' hand in her own. "No, I've kept them apart for too long already. Bridger deserves the chance to see him, to talk to him." Now that the flurry of activity was over, Westphalen sensed her resentment towards Olafsson building again, resentment that the teenager's chances of recovery still did not look good. Bitterly, she murmured, "I wouldn't expect you to understand." Pushing past him into the hallway, she went to get changed. It would probably give Nathan a heart attack if he saw her all covered in blood, although she knew that none of his reactions were going to be healthy.

Nathan had finally exhausted his anxiety into sleep and was already dreaming when the PAL chirruped beside the bed. "Yes?"  
"Oh, Nathan, did I wake you?"  
Blearily wiping sleep from his eyes, the captain sat bolt upright. "No, it's okay. How is he? What's happening?"  
"He's...well, it's hard to say. I think it would be better if you came down to medbay." Nathan was already reaching for his shirt before the words had left her lips. "Of course, of course, I'm on my way." Switching off his PAL, the captain urgently pulled on anything he could find and took the stairs two at a time down to medbay.  
Kristin was there to greet him, her face warm and comforting in his renewed worry. "Nathan, Lucas is still unconscious but you can see him if you want." Nathan nodded, still trying to catch his breath. "Follow me. He's still in the OR. The nurses are just preparing his room until his vitals steady."  
Nathan listened in shock. What had been going on down here?  
"What happened? Is he getting worse?"  
Kristin ran one hand around her aching neck. Her heart was far from sure that Lucas was out of the woods. "I've literally just taken a blood sample which Dr. Olafsson has taken for testing. I'll explain everything when you've seen Lucas."

Kristin cast a cursive look around the OR as she entered, ensuring that she had not left any damning evidence of the terrible procedures the teenager had endured in here. Fortunately, everything appeared to be in order and Lucas didn't look much worse than he had before it had happened.  
Nathan quickly crossed over to the gurney and laid a tentative hand over the boy's cheek. "Hey, kiddo. It's just me."  
Kristin stood back to give the captain a little privacy. The look of expectancy and anxiety which rested in the furrows of his forehead made her begin to wish she had waited until the blood test had come back. Her hastiness in reuniting Bridger with his surrogate son felt selfish now because she had wanted everything to get back to normal and to hear someone say that it wasn't her fault. Now, she realized that the uncertainties which still plagued the teenager's recovery were nothing but an extra torture for the captain.  
"Nathan, sit down and I'll explain what we have done."  
Nathan nodded, a hopeful smile crossing his face as he sat beside the bed. "He looks better, doesn't he?"

Kristin managed a semblance of reassurance in her gaze but she wanted him to have all the information. It was awful knowing how blind they still were to what was happening, unsure whether they had made the problem worse or better. As briefly and clearly as possible, the doctor explained the entire procedure, from what Olafsson had found out about the polychromatite substance to the decision they had made. Kristin noticed Nathan's sharp intake of breath when she explained the primitive way they had flushed the substance out. Finishing up, she allowed Bridger a moment to recollect his thoughts. All of this must have come as a great shock and it was a lot to digest in such a short time.  
"Nathan, I'm sorry that I didn't consult you. There was little time and I...I wasn't sure that it was fair to ask anyone else to make that decision without all the facts. It would have taken so long to explain everything we had gone through to get to that point, I..."  
Bridger silenced her by taking her hands in his own. "No, I do understand. Don't get me wrong, given the choice, I would want to know, but I know you were only acting in Lucas' best interests."  
Kristin let out an imperceptible sigh of relief. He understood. "Thank you. It means a lot to hear you say that." Pulling her close to him, Nathan hugged Westphalen and she could feel the intensity of his relief through the strong arms encircling her. The doctor was suddenly aware of how long it had been since she had shared such a moment of human contact. She had not realized how much she had craved it until it was finally offered to her.

Eventually, they drew apart and Nathan turned his eyes back to Lucas. Kristin checked his vitals once more. "His vital signs are improving all the time. I'll be honest with you, I don't know how temporary this improvement might be. Until the blood work comes back..."  
"I think you can lay your fears to rest." Nathan and Kristin turned to see Emory Olafsson in the doorway, holding the paperwork from the tests. "Captain."  
Bridger offered a cagey handshake, "I believe I owe you a vote of thanks, doctor."  
Emory accepted the hand with good grace, nodding towards the unconscious teenager. "His vitals are better, I see."  
Kristin smiled. "Yes, thank goodness."  
The scientist held out the papers he was holding and took a step further into the room. "We succeeded in breaking up the polychromatite ions in his system and there doesn't appear to be any trace of it left in his blood anymore. Still, you should keep a firm eye on him."  
Kristin surveyed the file with interest, then looked up. "Yes." Glancing at Nathan, she knew that no matter how much the captain still blamed Olafsson for everything which had happened, the man deserved her thanks. "Thank you, doctor. Without your help, Lucas would be dead now." Seeing this as his only chance for appeasement, Emory shrugged.  
"I'm glad I was of use. I am glad that something good came out of all this mess."

Nathan's relief about Lucas' condition made it a fortunate day in Olafsson's life. The captain wanted nothing more than to forget about everything which had befallen his precious family unit on the seaQuest since they went to the MEDS station. No matter how much suffering the scientist deserved in light of those events or how much Lucas might want revenge, a deal was a deal. Without Olafsson, Kristin was absolutely right, the boy would undoubtedly be dead. What could be more precious than restoring life to that youngster? No amount of personal pride was worth the consequences it might have reaped. Conjuring up all the benevolence he could muster, Nathan said, "I'll get onto Admiral Noyce tomorrow morning and arrange the paperwork for your unconditional release."

Dr. Olafsson felt awkwardly humbled now that his career and reputation had been spared. For years, he had acted out of selfish greed every time and yet these people really did deserve to serve under the UEO peacekeeping treaty. They had spared him out of kindness and because a dying boy had needed his help. There was no money to be gained, no reward or title to be garnered. They were humanitarians and good people, something he accepted he could never be.  
"Thank you, Captain Bridger. I know my actions can never be excused but if I could take back the past months, I would. I didn't want him hurt and I didn't want Miss Walker dead."

Bridger steeled himself against the man's words. He was ready to forget but he was not prepared to forgive. Nobody could act so callously, be responsible for deaths and expect it to be ignored. Cutting in, he snapped, "I think we have said all there is to say. I suggest you get some rest. I'll have a shuttle ready for you tomorrow to take you back to the mainland."

Acknowledging that he had overstepped the mark, Olafsson left the pair alone. Now that it was all over, he wanted out of here. He wanted to refuge from the UEO and a place to lick his wounds until time erased the memories of the damned MEDS station, Eric Wagner, and the ubiquitous seaQuest. He knew that he should be counting his lucky stars. There was still a lot which Bridger didn't know and which would now lay undiscovered due to the unfortunate demise of Lucas Wolenczak. The UEO knew nothing about the experimental use of the powdered polychromatite as a drug. Both he and Wagner had found it to have powerful effects, none of which he would have to reveal now. Olafsson just had to lay low until the UEO released him from his debt and forgot about the whole debacle, then he would be free to reclaim some of his research. He might not be able to return to his original plan but there would always be a market for the kind of drugs he could offer, no matter how shady the dealings. He would have to be careful and take plenty of time to slowly build back his empire. In the meantime, he needed to get the hell off this submarine and try to salvage what was left of his old life at Anchorage.  
Nathan turned back to where Kristin was gently tucking blankets round Lucas' small body. Whispering, he asked, "Have we got him back? For real?"  
Kristin felt the tears swimming in her vision. "He's home." Wrapping warm arms round the captain's waist, the pair gazed down lovingly at the child they had been so sure they would lose. It was finally over.

Sheets of fine, liquid grey spread endless arms through the boundless ocean in ripples of colour, alive and ever-changing. The water stretched on for miles, a territory so alien and indomitable yet somehow comforting.

Lucas gazed through the thick glass shield of the shuttle taking him back to Anchorage. Land was only a few short miles away, closing in on the final resting place of Cleo Walker. After all that had happened, he found it hard to know how to feel. Just as her fragmented ashes were scattered into the wind, so the teenager's image of her grew distorted. Cleo had become as transitory as the droplets making up this vast ocean. She was like a song from the sea, a whisper in the water. Her voice and picture would live on in him forever - sometimes nothing more than a glimmer, sometimes pellucid as daylight breaking on the horizon.

No matter which way his heart tugged him, Lucas' mind always returned to the ocean. It represented everything which was important to him. It engulfed the ones he loved in its unfaltering security like amniotic fluid, a mother's swollen belly protecting against harm. The sub-aqueous world was so different to anything above, somehow accepting without condition. Air-breathing humans led a precarious existence in the man-made bubble of oxygen while death washed against their home daily. Yet, now its depths had taken on a new dimension for Lucas. He used to associate the water with sanctuary. seaQuest was like a time capsule, indifferent to the changing trends and horrors which plagued the dry earth. It used to be untouchable, unaffected, autonomous. Now, Lucas knew it to be a false belief. His life could still change, man's greed could still reach into his chest and pull out his still-beating heart.

He ran one finger lazily over the small scar where he had torn the IV from his arm. It had healed perfectly until the second setback, when it had reopened as a willing reminder of everything which had happened over the past month. There was not a single trace of the polychromatite in his system anymore, but Dr. Olafsson had been committed by the UEO to conducting further research on the rock's properties under their guidance. Now that there was no chance of profit, the man made quick progress in discovering its nature. The rock was indeed a derivative of tourmaline which had been hidden under layers of glacial and lava rock for thousands of years. Despite excitement that the polychromatite might turn out to be extra-terrestrial, tests proved its fluctuating properties to be a result of a long-term cooling process.

All of Lucas' suffering could be reduced to such simple facts; avaricious men fighting for the rights to an ancient piece of rock. To this teenager though, none of it could be simplified so readily. After all that had happened, it was impossible to imagine that one alteration in events might have prevented everything - Cleo's death, his own injuries. Life wasn't fair. Lucas had always know that, but as he looked out at the encroaching land mass, he knew there must be reason. It was like when you reached the top of a cliff and just know that you can't go back on the same path, that you have to take that leap. Somewhere in his leaden heart was a glimmer of faith in the world he nearly spurned. Cleo's smile came washing back to him in a swelling tide and he knew she was still with him. Her eyes resisted him, telling him it was meant to be... and he had no choice but to believe her. As swiftly as she had appeared, the shuttle burst to the surface and a ball of sunlight claimed her.

Water playful round  
My head,  
The moon is high  
The sky is red  
In this timeless space  
I lose your face  
Diamonds dazzling my  
Eyes and I feel so alive.  
Summer's nearly gone.

There's only you,  
There's only me  
Between the devil and  
The deep blue sea  
So close to land, but in the  
Hands of another people's god  
Oh God, where were you?  
Took one last look and he was gone.

INGRID SCHROEDER - 'Waterbaby'

-----THE END-----


End file.
